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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

GIFT  OF 


Thomas  Q,   Lempertz 


-^I'U 


a  M 


^  ,i 


THE    LAW    OF    MENTALISM 


THE  LAW  OF 

MENTALISM 


A  pra5lical^  scientific  explanation  of  thought 

or  mind  force:     the  law  which  governs 

all   mental   and    physical    a^ion 

and  phenomena:    the  cause 

of  life    and   death 


BY 

A.   VICTOR    SEGNO 

DISCOVERER   AND    DEMONSTRATOR   OF  THE    LAW 


Price     $j .  o  o 


los  angeles,   cal.,   u.s.a. 

American    Institute    of    Mentalism 

Publishers 


Copyrighted  igo2 

by 

A.  VICTOR    SEGNO 

All   rights  reserved 


Commercial   Printing  House 

LOS       ANGELES 


The    Power    of    Thought 


"I  hold  it  true  that  thoughts  are  things 
Endowed  with  bodies,  breath  and  wings, 
And  that  we  send  them  forth  to  fill 
The  world  with  good  results — or  ill. 

That  which  we  call  our  secret  thought, 
Speeds  to  the  earth's  remotest  spot, 
And  leaves  its  blessings  or  its  woes. 
Like  tracks  behind  it  as  it  goes." 
************ 

"We  awaken   in  another 

Just  the  thoughts  our  minds  contain. 
If  we're  kind,  we  win  their  kindness, 

If  we  hate,  they  hate  again. 

We  pass  on  to  brother  mortals 

The  vibrations  of  the  soul. 
And  the  knowing  ones  receive  them. 

As  they  search  from  pole  to  pole." 
************ 

"We  build  our  futures  thought  by  thought, 
Or  good  or  bad,  and  know  it  not — 
Yet  so  the  universe  is  wrought. 

Thought  is  another  name  for  Fate, 

Choose,  then,  thy  destiny  and  wait — 

For  love  brings  love  and  hate  brings  hate." 


PREFACE 


In  acquiring  the  information  contained  in  this  book,  I 
lay  no  claim  to  having  possessed  a  knowledge  or  power 
superior  to  that  possessed  by  many  other  persons.  I  sim- 
ply claim  that  after  many  years  of  close,  conscientious 
study,  to  have  touched  a  chord  in  Nature  that  responded 
and  revealed  to  me  the  law  which  governs  all  intelligence, 
life  and  the  change  called  death.  After  thoroughly  test- 
ing this  great  power,  I  have  decided  to  give  the  knowledge 
to  the  world.  I  do  so  with  the  full  conviction  that  it  will 
revolutionize,  to  a  more  or  less  degree,  the  life  of  every 
person  who  reads  it. 

I  intentionally  avoided  the  use  of  scientific  terms  in  this 
book,  for  it  was  written  for  the  people  as  a  whole,  and  not 
simply  as  a  scientific  textbook.  I  have  also  avoided  all 
statements  that  in  any  way  flavored  of  the  sensational  or 
mysterious,  because  I  have  no  desire  to  play  upon  the 
superstition  inherent  in  humanity.  I  have  not  dealt  with 
suppositions  or  possibilities,  but  have  held  strictly  to  the 


knowledge  that  has  been  thoroughly  tested  and  demon- 
strated to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  logical,  thinking 
minds,  because  I  wish  to  appeal  only  to  the  reason  and  in- 
telligence in  man. 

I  believe  that  there  is  one  great  source  of  all  intelli- 
gence called  "God;"  that  the  mental  and  spiritual  (mind 
and  soul)  are  as  one  in  Him  and  in  us;  that  intelligence 
has  always  existed  and  always  will  exist.  That  we  are  all 
entitled  to  share  alike  in  this  great  gift,  and  that  we  each 
gain  all  the  knowledge  we  rightly  seek  and  work  for. 
That  we  are  slaves  or  masters  as  a  result  of  our  ignorance 
or  our  choice.  That  man  was  created  a  free  and  inde- 
pendent being,  and  that  he  is  bound  in  slavery  only 
through  his  ignorance  of  the  source  of  intelligence  and 
the  laws  that  govern  life.  That  we  can  make  or  mar  our 
careers  upon  this  earth  and  in  the  life  to  come,  and  that  it 
remains  entirely  with  us  to  decide. 

If  you,  dear  reader,  are  a  lover  of  truth,  knowledge  and 
intelligence,  the  contents  of  this  book  will  satisfy  your 
desires  and  give  you  mental  food  that  you  can  easily 
assimilate. 

It  is  to  the  people  who  seek  truth  that  they  may  de- 
velop within  themselves  greater  power,  that  I  dedicate  this 
work.  A.  Victor  Segno. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

What  is  Mentalism? 19 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  Importance  of  Will  Power        ,        .        .        .31 


rp 


CHAPTER  HI. 
Man's  Superior  Power 41 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Harmony— The     Key 51 

CHAPTER  V. 
How  TO  Cultivate  Will  Power        .         .        .         .61 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Solitude  and   Concentration        ....         71 


Contents 

CHAPTER  VII. 
How  Character  and  Destiny  are  Formed  and 

Controlled    by   Mentalism        .        .        .        ,81 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The   Immortality   of  the   Soul, 

What  are  Dreams.^ 93 

CHAPTER  IX. 
What  is   Genius.^        . 103 

CHAPTER  X. 
How  to  Select  the  Right  Vocation        .        .        .113 

CHAPTER  XI. 
How  to  Strengthen  the  Memory        .        .        .        121 

CHAPTER  XII. 
How  Parents  Can  Control  Their  Children, 

How  TO  Win  Friends  and  Affection        .        .     131 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Disease;  Its  Cause  and  Cure        ....      143 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Disease;  Its  Cause  and  Cure,  Continued        .        .     149 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Disease;  Its  Cause  and  Cure,  Continued        .        .     157 


Contents 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
What  Is  Hypnotism  f 169 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
What  is  Personal  Magnetism?        ....   177 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

How  TO  Cure  Evil  Habits, 

Magnetic  Healing  or  Mentalism         .        .  185 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  Foundation  of  Spiritualism,  Clairvoyance, 

Mediumship,  Telepathy,  and  Intuition        .        195 

CHAPTER  XX. 
The  Basis  of  Christian  Science        ....  205 


"The  laws  of  thought  are  the  laws  of  the  universe." — Buchner. 


Chapter    I. 


What    is    Ment  a  lismf 


What  is  Mentalism?  To  answer  that  question  is  the 
purpose  of  this  book.  MentaHsm  is  a  power  or  force  so 
subtle  and  yet  so  potential,  that  to  measure  its  breadth 
and  depth,  and  to  ascertain  all  its  uses  and  purposes  would 
require  more  years  than  are  allotted  to  man  on  this  earth, 
for  its  possibilities  are  unlimited.  It  is  the  source  of  all 
intelligence  and  of  all  physical,  social,  mental,  spiritual, 
scientific,  artistic  and  mechanical  achievement  and  ad- 
vancement. It  underlies  all  knowledge;  is  the  cause  of 
all  happiness  or  unhappiness,  health  or  disease,  success 
or  failure,  and  without  doubt  will  be  closely  associated 
with  our  lives  after  we  leave  this  earth. 


19 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

The  power  and  principles  of  the  Law  of  Mentalism 
are  as  old  as  humanity,  having  existed  ever  since  man 
was  created.  In  different  ages  of  the  world's  progress, 
men  have  in  some  measure  realized  the  existence  of  the 
Law,  but  heretofore  man  has  been  unable  to  grasp  it  with 
any  degree  of  completeness.  He  has,  however,  from  time 
to  time,  discovered  a  few  of  its  mysteries,  and,  believing 
that  he  had  the  whole  truth,  formed  and  organized  one  of 
the  sciences  or  religious  sects  known  as  Mesmerism,  Hyp- 
notism, Personal  Magnetism,  Magnetic  Healing,  Mental 
Science,  Christian  Science,  Spiritualism,  Clairvoyance, 
Clairaudience,  Telepathy,  Mediumship,  etc. 

There  is  but  one  law  underlying  all  these  sciences,  and 
that  is  the  Law  of  Mentalism.  However  the  study  of  the 
various  branches  of  this  science  has  been  the  stepping 
stones  in  the  onward  march  of  mental  supremacy.  If  one 
would  learn  any  language,  he  must  first  learn  the  alphabet, 
and-  then  words  of  one  syllable,  before  he  can  compre- 
hend those  of  deeper  meaning.  Man  cannot  grasp  all  the 
truths  and  facts  at  once;  therefore,  it  has  been  necessary 
for  humanity  to  move  forward  slowly,  step  by  step,  in  its 
education.  All  things  exist,  but  man  knows  of  them  only 
so  far  as  he  is  educated  to  comprehend  them.  What  is  a 
fact  to  one  is  an  unreality  to  another ;  thus,  no  two  people 

20 


What   is    Mentalism?' 

will  exactly  agree  upon  a  given  subject.  In  the  study  of 
the  previously  mentioned  sciences,  man  has  been  going 
through  a  school  that  has  prepared  him  to  receive  and 
comprehend  the  greater  truths  which  are  contained  in  the 
Law  of  Mentalism. 

Men  have  recognized  the  existence  of  this  power  or 
force,  and  have  given  it  various  names.  Biology  says 
this  force  is  "Life."  Physics  says  it  is  "Thought"  or 
"Etheric  Energy,"  and  philosophy,  as  represented  by 
Herbert  Spencer,  says  it  is  "An  infinite  energy  from 
which  all  things  proceed."  The  Bible  tells  us  that  "Man 
was  made  in  the  image  of  God,"  is  always  loved  by  God ; 
partakes  of  all  the  Divine  powers ;  is  "Heir  with  God  and 
joint  heir  with  Christ"  to  all  the  Divine  potentiality ;  that 
man  actually  inherits  and  shares  the  power  of  God. 

Never  until  this  the  twentieth  century  have  men  un- 
derstood the  tremendous  meaning  of  this  statement.  It 
is  through  advancement  in  the  study  of  the  relationship 
existing  between  the  physical  and  mental  forces  of  man 
that  the  great  truth  is  dawning  upon  the  minds  of  men 
that  man's  powers  may  safely  be  called  magical,  measure- 
less, and  all  powerful.  There  is  no  longer  any  doubt  in 
the  minds  of  thinking  men  that  the  power  of  a  man's 
mind  over  his  body  is  actually  superior  to  any  microbe 

21 


The   Law  of  Mentalism 

or  any  disease.  Then,  if  man  is  master  over  disease, 
which  we  know  to  be  a  fact,  who  can  doubt  that  he  has 
power  over  the  natural  forces  ?  Christ  says  in  John,  "He 
that  beheveth  in  me  the  works  that  I  do,  shall  he  do  also; 
and  greater  works  than  these  shall  he  do." 

Mentalism  is  the  harmonious  action  of  the  three  most 
powerful  faculties  of  the  mental  organization.  The  first 
of  these  is  Thought,  the  second,  Etheric  Energy,  and  the 
third  is  Will.  Thought  is  the  intelligence  which  is  col- 
lected by  the  brain  for  the  use  of  the  mind,  from  such 
passing  mental  vibrations  as  are  in  harmony  with  it. 
Etheric  Energy  is  the  force  generated  in  the  brain  by  the 
process  of  thinking.  It  is  upon  this  force  that  thoughts 
travel  from  the  cells  of  the  brain  to  their  destination. 
The  Will  is  the  operator  and  director  and  dispatches  and 
guides  the  thoughts  to  their  respective  stations.  Thus, 
Thought  conveyed  by  Etheric  Energy,  and  guided  and 
controlled  by  Will,  becomes  a  power  of  such  magnitude 
that  neither  material  nor  distance  are  a  barrier  to  its 
transmission. 

Thought  produces  energy  and  energy  creates  force, 
which  in  turn  produces  action  and  motion.  Thought 
through  motion  displaces  the  atoms  in  the  air  which 
surrounds  the  body,  thus  causing  vibrations  or  thought 

22 


What   is    Mentalism? 

waves  in  the  atmosphere.  A  weak  thou.8:ht  makes  only 
a  slight  displacement  just  as  a  faint  breeze  sways  hut 
gently  the  leaves  of  the  trees;  while  strong,  forceful 
thoughts  displace  the  atoms  over  a  greater  area. 

Marconi,  the  inventor  of  Wireless  Telegraphy,  says 
that  a  word  or  its  equivalent  creates  a  vibration  in  the  air 
just  as  a  pebble  thrown  into  a  pond  creates  a  ripple  in  the 
water,  and  that  this  vibration  travels  with  the  speed  of 
lightning  to  the  terminus,  however  distant,  and  makes 
itself  known  and  felt  by  every  telegraph  instrument  that 
is  tuned  in  harmony  with  the  sender.  In  the  same  man- 
ner a  thought  from  the  brain  of  one  person  travels  on 
despite  all  resistance  until  it  is  taken  up  by  the  brain  or 
brains  that  are  in  harmony  with  the  mind  from  which 
it  was  sent. 

A  thought  of  scorn  or  praise,  when  sent  by  the  Will 
from  the  brain,  becomes  a  living  force,  and  is  not  lost 
in  the  multitude  of  sounds  and  vibrations,  but  goes  on  to 
find  the  individual  against  whom  or  in  favor  of  whom 
it  was  directed.  Such  thoughts  strike  the  person  with  an 
impact  which  either  hurts  or  helps  them.  Those  who  do 
not  understand  the  Law  of  Mentalism  may  not  know 
when  these  thoughts  have  taken  flight,  and  for  the  same 
reason  the  person  receiving  them  may  not  know  from 


23 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

whence  they  came;  nevertheless,  he  is  either  uplifted  or 
depressed  by  them. 

Almost  every  person  will  admit  of  having  often  ex- 
perienced a  sudden  depression  of  feeling,  or  a  fear  that 
something  unfortunate  had  or  was  about  to  occur;  and 
again  at  another  time  of  being  controlled  by  a  sensa- 
tion of  hope  and  happiness,  even  in  the  face  of  seem- 
ingly unpleasant  facts,  and  with  no  apparent  cause  for  it. 
There  are  few  people  who  have  not  been  convinced  at 
some  time  in  their  lives  that  they  felt  the  thoughts  of  an- 
other influencing  them,  even  when  they  knew  that  that 
person  was  a  distance  from  them.  Perhaps  when  deeply 
engrossed  in  work  or  study  you  have  been  startled  by 
what  seemed  a  living  presence  beside  you,  and  the  mental 
impression  was  so  strong  that  you  involuntarily  reached 
out  your  hand  as  though  to  touch  the  living  flesh,  while 
your  eyes  were  fixed  upon  space  and  you  saw  more  from 
within  than  from  without.  Or,  perhaps  you  experienced 
this  same  feeling  of  nearness  of  some  friend  whom  you 
believed  to  be  far  away,  and  in  a  few  moments  he  entered 
your  presence  and  you  in  astonishment  greeted  him  with 
"I  was  just  thinking  of  you." 

These  or  similar  experiences  demonstrate  to  what 
extent  a  person  is  sensitive  to  Mentalism,  and  to  what 

24 


what   is    Mentalism!^ 

degree  other  people  are  able  to  influence  his  thoughts  and 
actions  for  good  or  evil. 

For  the  want  of  a  better  explanation,  knowledge  ac- 
quired in  this  way  has  been  credited  to  Telepathy  or 
Intuition,  which  means  that  it  was  gained  through  some 
faculty  other  than  the  five  senses.  It  is  a  recognized 
truth  that  we  cannot  feel  or  know  of  that  which  does  not 
exist,  therefore  such  experiences  not  only  prove  the  exist- 
ence of  the  power,  but  they  prove  that  we  have  the 
faculty  to  perceive  that  power.  As  man  possesses  this 
faculty,  it  is  his  duty  to  develop  and  use  it  for  his  own 
advancement  and  for  that  of  humanity. 

It  is  an  indisputable  fact  that  Thought  is  the  founda- 
tion or  creative  force  back  of  every  action,  whether  it  be 
the  simple  lifting  of  the  hand,  or  that  used  to  build  a 
city.  The  sculptor  by  his  thoughts  gives  to  his  model 
shape  and  being  ere  he  chisels  it  from  the  marble.  The 
artist,  likewise,  had  already  created  the  picture  in  his 
brain  by  his  thoughts  before  he  attempted  to  reproduce 
it  on  canvas  in  colors.  Statuary  and  pictures  are  but 
material  reproductions  of  the  artist's  thoughts,  and 
should  you  ask  him.  he  would  tell  you  that  thev  were 
but  poor  imitations  of  the  mental  pictures  from  which  he 
copied  them. 

25 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

A  thought  is  but  a  flash  of  intelHgence  that  illuminates 
the  brain.  Intelligence  has  always  existed  and  always 
will  exist,  so  there  can  be  nothing  new  created.  What 
we  call  new  is  but  another  spark  of  light  that  we  have 
learned  to  recognize.  Thoughts  that  cannot  be  measured 
or  compared  by  the  previous  experiences  of  the  person 
have  been  called  Imagination.  There  is  no  such  facultv, 
quality,  or  organ.  Such  thoughts  are  transferred  to  the  A 
person  by  Mentalism.  They  are  not  original  or  imagin.T-^^/^ 
tive;  they  are  real.  They  are  a  part  of  the  great  Intelli- 
gence, and  w^e  but  perceive  and  use  such  parts  of  this 
Intelligence  as  we  are  able  to  understand.  The  thoughts 
that  we  think  have  been  thought  before  by  others,  and 
will  be  thought  by  others  after  we  have  passed  on  and 
our  little  sun  has  gone  down. 

It  is  by  the  Law  of  Mentalism  that  we  read  or  under- 
stand the  thoughts  sent  to  us  by  others.  What  people 
think  of  us  influences  and  afifects  us.  and  plays  an  im- 
portant part  in  our  lives.  What  we  say  (speech  is  but 
an  expression  of  thought)  or  think  of  others  excites  in 
them  some  emotion  or  passion.  To  what  extent  these 
influences  are  effective  is  determined  by  the  strength  of 
the  Will  that  guides  them  and  the  sensitiveness  of  the 
person  to  whom  they  are  sent.     Thoughts  not  guided  by 

26       t 


what   is   Mentalism-^ 

the  Will  may  travel  in  any  direction  and  affect  those  for 
whom  they  were  not  intended.  To  illustrate :  The  subtle 
(Etheric)  force  upon  which  Thought  travels  is  contained 
ia  the  cells  of  the  brain,  and  is  set  into  action  through 
the  process  of  thinking,  and  emanates  from  the  brain  in 
waves  or  currents  similar  to  electricity.  As  these  currents 
are  generated  they  must  of  a  necessity  find  space  to 
occupy,  and  in  so  doing  pass  off  into  the  atmosphere.  In 
this  condition  the  force  is  similar  to  electricity  or  steam, 
which,  after  being  generated,  is  allowed  to  escape  in  every 
direction  because  no  measures  are  taken  to  control  it.  It 
can  be  readily  seen  that  in  order  to  control  this  valuable 
force  which  is  constantly  going  to  waste,  the  guidance  of 
the  Will  is  necessary. 

When  economically  controlled,  steam  and  electricity 
are  valuable  agents  in  executing  man's  desires,  but  they 
are  not  as  valuable  as  Mentalism,  for  without  Thought 
and  Mentalism  these  forces  would  never  have  been  con- 
trolled. Steam  and  electricity  uncontrolled  are  dangerous 
elements  and  so  are  uncontrolled  thoughts.  One  cannot 
estimate  the  amount  of  damage  they  do  and  the  number  of 
lives  they  destroy. 


27 


V 


"Force  is  not  gravity,  nor  electricity,  nor  magnetism,  nor  chemi- 
cal affinity.    But  Will  is  the  typical  idea  of  force." — Dr.  Brown. 


Chapter    II. 


T'he   Importance   of  JVill  Power 


The  Will  governs  the  amount  of  mental  force  that 
shall  be  produced,  and  also  the  direction  and  distance  it 
shall  travel.  Like  the  rudder  of  a  ship  it  guides 
and  directs  the  course  of  our  thoughts.  The  Will  being 
the  controlling  mental  faculty,  it  is  able  to  make  a  decis- 
ion and  to  send  out  to  the  world,  or  to  an  individual,  the 
ideas  and  opinions  which  were  collected  by  the  brain,  or 
those  thoughts  which  came  to  the  brain  from  other  peo- 
ple. It  determines  the  extent  of  our  influence  over  other 
people,  and  it  also  counteracts  the  effect  of  the  thoughts 
and  ideas  conveyed  to  our  brain  by  others  or  by  cir- 
cumstances.      It     can     through     concentration     attract 


31 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

thoughts  to  the  brain,  but  it  cannot  prevent  their  coming 
when  the  mental  faculties  are  in  harmony  with  those 
thoughts,  for  it  is  the  harmony  that  attracts  like  to  like. 
It  can,  however,  change  the  mental  tone  of  the  person  and 
thus  throw  him  out  of  harmony  with  certain  people  or  a 
certain  line  of  thought.  In  this  way  evil  may  be  turned  to 
good,  or  good  to  evil. 

A  great  many  people  possess  strong  Wills,  but 
the  majority  do  not.  The  person  who  is  so 
fortunate  can  send  his  thoughts  a  greater  distance  than 
the  person  having  a  weak  Will.  This  fact  accounts  for 
some  people  being  successful  and  famous,  while  others 
are  not  known  outside  of  their  immediate  neighborhood. 
The  famous  man  is  he,  who  by  his  strong  Will,  started 
thought  waves  in  motion  that  have  traveled  around  the 
earth.  People  are  made  successful  and  famous  by  sending 
out  to  the  public  a  series  of  thoughts  which  are  taken  up 
by  thousands  of  people,  who  in  turn  send  them  on  to 
thousands  of  others.  If  this  person  is  an  actor  or  a 
musician,  there  is  then  a  grand  rush  to  see  him,  and  if 
he  is  a  writer,  thousands  buy  and  read  his  book.  The 
thoughts  of  all  these  people  are  centered  on  the  one  man 
and  they  make  him  successful.  The  thoughts  that  he 
sent  out  were  at  first  similar  to  a  faint  breeze,  but  in 


32 


The    Importance  of  Will  Power 

passing  through  the  brains  of  others  the  force  was  multi- 
plied until  it  became  as  powerful  as  a  hurricane.  Success 
of  this  character  is  not  won  through  personal  magnetism, 
as  some  people  claim,  because  the  public  is  not  within  the 
circle  of  his  magnetism.  He  reaches  the  minds  of  the 
people  by  the  use  of  Mentalism.  They  feel  his  thoughts 
and  unconsciously  obeyed  his  wishes. 

It  often  happens  that  the  successful  man  in  his  assur- 
ance of  continued  success,  becomes  indifferent  or  egotis- 
tical, and  discontinues  sending  out  the  strong  thought 
vibrations  to  the  public,  and  immediately  his  success  be- 
gins to  decrease  and  someone  else,  who  is  sending  out 
stronger  vibrations,  reaches  and  controls  for  a  time  the 
public's  mind.  Thus  one  rises  while  another  falls  and  the 
people  continue  to  be  the  servants  that  worship  at  the 
shrine  of  him  who  makes  use  of  the  Mentalism  under 
his  control.  We  read  of  and  see  such  experiences  every 
day. 

Wireless  telegraphy  is  an  acknowledged  fact.  Mes- 
sages have  been  sent  and  received  over  a  distance  of 
thousands  of  miles  with  only  the  ether  of  the  atmosphere 
acting  as  a  conductor.  Thoughts  are  sent  from  the  brain 
exactly  as  a  wireless  message  is  sent  from  a  transmitter. 
The  waves  produced  in  the  atmosphere  are  identical,  and 


33 


The   Law  of  Mentalism 

the  process  corresponds  exactly  with  the  principles  of 
wireless  telegraphy.  (  Whenever  an  action  occurs  in 
the  brain,  a  chemical  change  of  its  substances  also 
takes  place,  and  the  result  is  an  electrical  manifestation 
that  produces  force  and  motion.  J  It  therefore  neces- 
sarily follows  that  no  brain  action  can  take  place  without 
creating  a  wave  or  undulation  in  the  atmosphere,  for 
the  movement  of  any  solid  particle  submerged  ( as  we  are 
in  atmosphere)  in  any  medium  must  create  a  wave.  Each 
acting,  thinking  brain  is  the  center  of  the  undulations 
which  are  transmitted  in  all  directions  through  space. 
These  undulations  or  waves  vary  in  character  and  inten- 
sity in  accordance  with  the  nature  of  the  person  and  the 
strength  of  the  Will  that  dispatches  them.  The 
thoughts  of  love  or  hate,  of  life  or  death,  of  murder  or 
rescue,  of  consent  or  refusal,  each  have  their  correspond- 
ing tone  or  intensity,  as  each  emotion  or  passion  has  its 
corresponding  tone  of  voice. 

Thought  is  Nature's  method  of  communication. 
Speech  is  a  cultivated  talent.  If  speech  had  been  the  only 
possible  means  of  communicating  one  with  another,  we 
would  have  been  born  with  that  faculty  developed  and 
ready  for  use  as  the  other'^five  senses  are.  An  infant 
cannot  speak,  but  nevertheless  it  can  read  the  thought 


34 


The    Importance  of  Will  Power 

language.  Every  mother  is  confident  that  her  baby 
knows  just  what  she  is  thinking  and  doing.  She  will 
assure  you  that  when  she  is  thinking  of  leaving  the  room 
that  it  will  protest  and  refuse  to  sleep,  while  at  other 
times  it  would  go  to  sleep  quickly.  Only  mothers  fully 
realize  to  what  extent  thought  language  is  understood 
by  children.  As  we  grow  from  infancy  to  childhood  we 
are  taught  to  use  speech  as  a  means  of  expressing  our- 
selves, and  thus  the  natural  faculty  is  held  in  check  and 
its  development  dwarfed.  The  deaf  and  dumb  converse 
by  a  system  of  their  own  without  the  use  of  speech,  and 
it  is  a  well  known  fact  that  the  greater  part  of  their  un- 
derstanding is  due  to  thought  reading  and  very  little  of 
it  to  sign  reading.  That  animals  also  possess  the  faculty 
of  receiving  thought  communications,  is  proven  in  many 
ways,  but  as  this  work  is  intended  to  deal  only  with  that 
power  in  man,  I  shall  only  mention  a  few  of  the  facts 
that  have  come  under  our  observation.  Without  the 
power  to  think,  intelligence  could  not  exist,  for  thought 
is  intelligence  in  action.  Every  one  will  admit  that  ani- 
mals have  a  marked  degree  of  intelligence.  Then  animals 
must  be  capable  of  thinking.  This  faculty,  or  power,  is 
developed  to  a  greater  degree  in  domestic  animals,  and  es- 
pecially in  the  dog  and  horse.   There  is  a  sympathy  exist- 


35 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

ing  between  these  animals  and  man  that  can  only  be  the 
result  of  a  mutual  mental  understanding.  Any  person  who 
has  ever  been  the  owner  of  a  horse  or  a  dog  will  need  no 
further  proof  of  the  ability  of  animals  to  understand 
their  master's  thoughts  and  desires.  Where  is  there  to 
be  found  greater  faithfulness  than  that  displayed  by  a 
dog  toward  his  master?  One  cannot  help  but  observe 
with  what  quickness  a  dog  will  know  if  you  fear  him  or 
not,  and  a  horse  if  you  have  the  confidence  to  drive  him. 

That  animals  possess  a  marked  amount  of  intelligence 
is  clearly  shown  by  their  leaving  a  forest  some  days 
previous  to  a  forest  fire,  and  by  rats  in  leaving  a  con- 
demned ship,  and  by  birds  in  migrating  from  North  to 
South  and  from  South  to  North  with  the  changes  of  the 
seasons.  A  little  investigation  along  this  line  will  well 
repay  anyone  for  the  time  and  efforts  used. 

I  repeat,  that  speech  is  only  an  expression  of  thought. 
It  is  one  method  of  conveying  thought  from  one  person 
to  another,  but  its  use  is  limited,  because  sourld  can  be 
propelled  only  a  short  distance  by  the  human  voice. 
Wires  are  not  necessary  to  telegraphy  nor  is  speech  nec- 
essary to  thought.  We  can  send  a  telegraph  message 
without  wires,  and  we  can  send  a  thought  message  with- 
out speech.    A  thought  message  may  be  sent  to  one  per- 

36 


The    Importance  of  Will  Power 

son  only,  or  it  may  be  sent  so  that  it  can  be  taken  up  by 
thousands.  A  proof  of  this  is  to  be  found  in  the  various 
suicide  and  murder  epidemics,  and  in  the  fads  and  crazes 
that  spread  over  the  country  from  time  to  time.  Another 
strong  evidence  is  the  series  of  so-called  coincidences  on 
record  in  the  Patent  Office  at  Washington.  It  is  a  mat- 
ter of  record  that  there  is  seldom  an  important  invention 
entered  for  a  patent  without  almost  the  same  thing  being 
entered  by  several  other  people  at  about  the  same  time, 
thus  demonstrating  that  each  one  had  either  been  work- 
ing  from  one  man's  thoughts,  or  upon  the  combined 
thoughts  of  all.  although  none  of  them  knew  that  the 
others  had  such  an  idea. 

Is  it  necessary  to  use  words  to  express  ourselves  in 
prayer  to  God?  No.  A  prayer  is  recognized  as  being 
more  sincere  when  offered  up  in  thought,  without  un- 
necessary display.  There  are  reasons  why  a  silent  prayer 
should  be  the  most  effective.  In  quietude  the  entire 
mental  force  and  energy  are  concentrated  upon  the  de- 
sire, and  the  Will  is  given  every  opportunity  for  dis- 
patching the  message.  Where  one  expresses  a  prayer 
aloud,  the  sound  of  his  own  voice  and  the  attention  he 
attracts  by  so  doing,  must  necessarily  cause  his  thoughts 
to  wander  from  the  desire  and  thus  reduce  the  force 
and  efficacy  of  the  prayer. 

37 


The   Law   of   Mentalism 

Christ  did  not  need  to  be  informed  of  a  man's  wishes, 
for  He  read  the  mind  of  man  as  an  open  book,  and  the 
man's  story  was  already  told.  Lips  had  nothing  to  do 
with  it.  The  Master  knew,  felt  and  shared  the  joys  and 
sorrows  of  humanity.  This  subtle  force  was  thoroughly 
understood  by  Him  as  verified  by  the  record  of  His  life 
in  the  New  Testament. 


38 


"Great  men  are  they  who  see  that  mental  force  is  stronger  than 
material  force;  that  thought  rules  the  world." — Emerson. 


Chapter     III. 


Mans    Sup  erior    Power 


We  all  know  that  underlying  every  sign  of  life  and  in 
the  movement  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  there  is  some  un- 
seen, unexplained  force.  The  world  recognizes  in  elec- 
tricity, which  now  furnishes  us  with  light  and  heat,  and 
turns  the  great  wheels  of  machinery,  and  carries  mes- 
sages from  continent  to  continent,  the  highest  form  of 
mechanical  power.  Yet  this  force  is  not  made  by  ma- 
chinery. Man  has  simply  learned  to  control  a  force 
which  exists  everywhere  in  the  air  and  in  the  earth.  Man 
is  greater  and  more  powerful  than  any  and  all  the  forces 
he  brings  under  his  control,  or  he  would  not  be  able  to 
master  them  and  make  them  serve  him.  Man's  superior- 
ity over  all  the  forces  is  due  to  his  mind. 


41 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

Mentalism  or  thought  force  as  it  manifests  itself  in 
the  human  brain,  is  the  highest  known  type  of  power,  the 
mysteries  of  which  have  been  called  nature,  life,  spirit, 
soul,  and  even  God.  QThis  great  force  is  the  opposite  of 
matter,  and  does  not  conform  to  any  of  the  laws  or  pos- 
sess  any  of  the  attributes  of  matter.  J  It  cannot  be  con- 
tained in  a  given  space  for  it  pervades  all  space^  Its 
products  are  indestructible  even  after  the  death  of  the 
person  from  whose  brain  they  were  dispatched. 

We  know  that  every  change  produced  in  matter  is  due 
to  the  influence  of  some  force  acting  upon  it,  also  that 
force  always  controls  matter.  i\s  Thought  is  the  great- 
est known  force,  it  therefore  must  underlie  all  human  ac- 
tivity. In  the  human  body  we  find  the  most  perfect  type 
of  force  acting  upon  matter.  It  possesses  all  the  qualities 
of  matter  in  motion,  with  the  addition  of  the  highest  form 
of  intelligence.  The  life  of  man  is  governed  by  three 
influences :  personal  thoughts,  the  thoughts  of  others, 
and  circumstances.  The  strength  of  the  Will,  will  always 
determine  to  what  extent  Mentalism  or  circumstances 
shall  be  permitted  to  govern  the  person. 

Mentalism  is  the^prime  motive  power  back  of  all  hu- 
man actions.  It  is  not  only  the  architect  and  builder,  but 
it  is  also  the  laborer  that  carries  the  material  that  pro- 

42 


Man's    Superior    Power 

duces  the  growth  and  makes  the  necessary  repairs  for  the 
body.  This  applies  not  only  to  our  own  body,  but  to  any 
or  all  on  whom  our  mental  force  is  concentrated. 

The  power  of  Mentalism  over  physical  ailments  is  well 
illustrated  by  the  following  historical  fact : 

At  the  siege  of  Buda,  in  1625,  the  garrison  was  in  the 
direst  straits,  the  scurvy  had  become  epidemic,  and  there 
seemed  to  be  nothing  left  to  do  but  to  surrender,  and  no 
doubt  it  would  have  done  so,  had  the  Prince  not  conceived 
an  idea  and  saved  the  day  by  the  use  of  Mentalism. 
He  sent  the  officers  to  announce  to  the  men  that  he  had 
secured  an  infallible  cure  for  the  dread  disease,  and 
that  he  would  personally  administer  the  remedy  to  each 
man.  He  gave  each  man  a  few  drops  of  the  precious 
fiuid,  and  at  the  same  time  impressed  upon  his  mind  the 
assurance  that  it  would  cure  him.  The  effect  produced 
upon  the  mind  of  every  man  was  so  strong  that  the  result 
was  instantaneous.  They  were  all  cured  and  the  garri- 
son made  whole  in  a  few  days  and  ready  to  fight  for  vic- 
tory. {The  medicine  that  achieved  this  marvelous  result 
was  not  a  drug,  but  the  power  of  Thought  guided  by  a 
strong  Will,  the  fluid  administered  being  nothing  but 
pure  water.  ) 

This  incident  illustrates  the  power  of  Mentalism  to 

43 


The  Law  of   Mentalism 

arouse  the  stagnant  pool  of  the  physical  vitality,  and 
change  it  into  a  swift  flowing  current  of  healthy,  vigorous 
life. 

In  the  domain  of  the  mind,  distance  and  density  of 
matter  are  not  recognized ;  therefore,  one  portion  of 
physical  matter  can  as  easily  be  influenced  and  controlled 

as  another,  for  all  men  are  made  of  the  same  materials  and 
are  governed  by  the  same  law.  The  difference  in  the 
build  and  physical  features  of  every  man  is  but  a  record 
of  the  influence  made  by  his  personal  thoughts  and  by 
the  thoughts  of  the  people  with  whom  he  has  associated. 
("As  a  man  thinks,  so  is  he."  "The  outer  man  is  but 
an  expression  of  the  inner  man."  That  is  why  we  are 
able  to  read  character  from  the  physical  form.  No  man 
can  live  a  pure  Jife  and  think  only  pure  and  beautiful 
thoughts,  and  in  so  doing  enjoy  perfect  happiness,  and  not 
show  the  result  of  those  thoughts  in  his  face  and  in  his 
manner.  Neither  can  a  man  who  has  led  an  impure  life, 
where  his  thoughts  have  been  low  and  material,  cover  up 
these  signs.  J  Every  thought  and  its  expression  calls  into 
action  certain  parts  of  the  face,  and  this  exercise  develops 
that  particular  parj^.  The  law  that  governs  one  governs 
all  humanity,  and  the  force  that  is  used  to  influence  one  is 
used  to  influence  all. 


44 


Man's   Superior    Power 

Every  thought  stimulates  certain  brain  cells,  and  ex- 
ercises some  physical  tissue  or  muscle.  This  exercise 
must  produce  a  minute  change  in  the  construction  of  the 
tissue.  This  being  so,  and  we  know  that  it  is  a  fact,  it  is 
then  only  necessary  for  a  man  to  have  a  sufficient  number 
of  thoughts  on  a  new  subject  to  produce  an  entire  change 
in  both  his  physical  and  mental  organization.  It  is  esti- 
mated by  scientists  that  the  cells  of  the  brain  are  com- 
pletely destroyed  and  rebuilt  once  every  sixty  days.  This 
is  the  secret  of  the  wonderful  cures  made  by  Mentalism. 
It  eliminates  the  diseased  or  waste  material  and  develops 
healthy  tissue  in  its  place. 

By  Thought  we  not  only  shape  and  control  our  own 
physical  body,  but  we  also,  in  a  degree,  form  and  control 
the  bodies  of  others.  The  mother  who  understands  the 
Law  of  Mentalism  can  by  the  correct  use  of  her  thoughts, 
have  and  keep  her  children  beautiful,  talented  and  healthy. 
In  fact,  she  can  influence  and  direct  them  to  fulfill  her 
highest  ambition. 

Does  not  history  tell  us  that  the  woman  who  sat  for 
weeks  watching  the  painters  decorate  the  interior  of  a 
cathedral  became  the  mother  of  Michael  Angelo,  the  great 
artist?  Then  did  not  the  mother  of  Napoleon,  before 
his  birth,   visit  the  battle  fields,   study   military  tactics, 


45 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

review  troops,  and  experience  with  her  husband  the  life 
of  a  soldier?  Every  mother,  and  often  the  father,  whose 
offspring  shows  special  physical  or  mental  development, 
whether  for  good  or  evil,  can  recognize  the  influence  that 
was  the  cause  of  it.  The  numerous,  well  authenticated 
instances  of  this  kind  demonstrate  conclusively  that 
Thought  does  form  the  physical  and  mental  life  of  the 
unborn.  That  the  same  effect  can  be  produced  upon  those 
immediately  connected  with  us  is  also  proven  by  the  re- 
semblance to  one  another  of  husband  and  wife  after  a 
few  years  of  married  life,  where  the  two  have  lived 
happily  together.  It  is  noticed  that  even  their  tastes  and 
talents  change  until  they  think  alike  and  enjoy  the  same 
pursuits.  If  it  is  possible  to  project  this  power  beyond 
the  limits  of  the  brain,  who  can  determine  the  limits  to 
which  it  may  be  sent  under  favorable  conditions? 

Our  environments  and  the  conditions  of  our  lives, 
both  physically  and  financially,  are  the  result  and  expres- 
sion of  the  Thoughts  of  those  around  us,  and  those  near 
or  distant,  with  whom  we  have  dealings.  As  long  as  one 
makes  no  effort  to  change  the  existing  conditions,  just  so 

long  will  he  remain  the  servant,  or  even  the  slave  of 

t 
others.     If  a  man  would  free  himself  from  unfavorable 

environments  or  circumstances,  he  must  bring  his  own 

46 


Man's    Superior    Power 

mental  force  to  bear  to  counteract  the  influence  of  the 
thoughts  of  those  who  are  controlHng  and  shaping  his 
career,  and  then  use  his  latent  power  to  create  the  new 
conditions  under  which  he  desires  to  live. 

"Thoughts  are  things."  If  our  thoughts  are  good, 
they  will,  to  a  more  or  less  extent,  help  humanity.  If 
they  are  not,  they  will  retard  civilization.  Few  people 
fully  realize  the  responsibility  they  assume  when  they 
think  thoughts  that  are  not  beneficial  to  others.  The  per- 
son who  is  in  possession  of  a  strong  Will  Power,  and 
also  has  a  knowledge  of  the  Law  and  power  of  Mental- 
ism,  is  under  a  great  responsibility  to  his  fellow  men. 
Should  he  have  incorrect  ideas  in  regard  to  morals,  his 
thoughts  will  corrupt  the  lives  of  thousands  of  the 
weaker  willed  people  who  are  unfortunate  enough  to 
come  in  contact  with  his  thought  waves.  (Very  few  peo- 
ple think  original  thoughts  ;\hat  is,  thoughts  that  they 
draw  from  the  Great  Source  of  Intelligence.  As  a  rule, 
they  make  use  of  and  think  the  thoughts  received  from 
the  thought  waves  of  others,  and  in  this  way  simply 
assist  some  other  person's  thought  to  travel  around  the 
earth. 

It  has  been  fully  demonstrated  that  when  a  number  of 
people,  each  possessing  a  strong  Will  Power  and  a  knowl- 

47 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

edge  of  Mentalism,  combine  their  efforts  and  concentrate 
their  thoughts  upon  one  subject,  they  produce  results 
equal  to  any  of  the  miracles  recorded  in  history. 

The  universal  custom  of  prayer  is  an  excellent  illustra- 
tion of  the  value  of  combined  thought.  Do  not  whole 
congregations  unite  in  prayer  for  the  purpose  of  bringing 
about  a  desired  result  ?  Has  not  this  unity  of  thought,  in 
prayer,  often  produced  marvelous  results?  Many  lives 
have  been  prolonged  by  these  efforts.  The  combined 
thought  waves  sent  out  in  prayer  reached  the  dying  man 
and  gave  him  new  hope  and  courage;  stimulated  his 
heart  action,  and  thus  set  the  machinery  of  life  into 
action  again  at  a  time  when  it  had  almost  stopped  for 
lack  of  additional  power.  This  power  was  not  supplied 
by  himself,  but  by  the  thoughts  of  others.  Does  not  the 
Bible  say  that  "If  ye  will  all  pray  with  one  accord,  your 
prayer  shall  be  answered?"  If  all  the  people  would  only 
think  right,  they  would  live  right,  and  evil  would  cease 
to  exist. 


48 


"The  language  of  tone  is  the  language  of  the  spheres ;  it  is  the 
language  of  the  universal  world ;  it  is  the  language  of  the  angels." 

— Dr.  C.  W.  Emerson. 


Chapter    IV. 


Ha  rmony  —  t  he    Key 


While  every  person  can  send  to  and  receive  mental 
messages  from  almost  every  other  person,  yet  Nature  has 
imposed  a  wise  restriction  so  that  every  message  sent  out 
cannot  be  taken  up  by  all  humanity  without  the  sanction 
of  the  sender.  A  message  can  be  sent  so  as  to  reach  only 
a  certain  person,  or  it  can  be  sent  so  that  it  may  be  taken 
up  by  a  great  number  of  people. 

I  will  explain  the  law  that  makes  this  possible.  The 
mental  organization  of  every  person  is  tuned  natural!}" 
to  a  certain  tone  or  pitch.  This  tone  may,  however,  be 
raised  or  lowered  by  choice,  and  also  when  brought  under 
the  strong  influence  of  Mentalism.     While  the  mental 

51 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

organizations  of  different  people  usually  have  different 
tones,  yet  there  are  many  people  in  the  world  of  exactly 
the  same  tone,  and  they  all  vibrate  in  unison.  So  when 
one  sends  forth  a  message,  it  is  taken  up  by  all  who  are 
of  the  same  tone,  but  it  will  have  no  effect  upon  others. 
To  more  clearly  demonstrate  my  meaning,  I  shall  use 
an  illustration  that  is  quite  appropriate  for  the  purpose, 
for  it  is  a  mechanical  demonstration  of  a  mental  reality. 
All  tuners  of  musical  instruments  use  what  is  called  a 
tuning  fork  which,  when  made  to  vibrate,  gives  forth  a 
certain  tone  or  pitch.  In  tuning  an  instrument,  one 
string  is  placed  under  a  stretching  tension  until  it  vibrates 
in  unison  with  the  tuning  fork.  The  other  strings  are 
then  tuned  to  harmonize.  Now,  if  a  number  of  people  will 
each  hold  tuning  forks  that  are  tuned  to  the  same  tone 
or  pitch,  and  one  of  these  forks  shall  be  made  to  vibrate, 
all  the  others  will  respond  and  vibrate  without  being 
touched.  Should  any  of  these  forks  be  tuned  to  a  differ- 
ent pitch,  they  will  not  respond,  and  will  not  be  in  the 
least  affected  by  the  vibrations  of  the  others.  This  test 
proves  conclusively  the  law  of  tone  vibration.  Another 
interesting  and  convincing  experiment  is  produced  by 
singing  a  note,  say  middle  C,  into  a  piano.  At  once  the 
middle-C  string  will  respond  and  vibrate  in  sympathy, 

52 


Harmony— the    Key 


while  the  other  strings  will  not  be  affected.  As  a  means 
of  testing  the  strength  of  the  vibrations  made  in  the  air 
by  the  striking  of  a  note  on  the  piano,  a  hat  may  be  held 
in  the  hands  with  the  opening  toward  the  piano.  While 
standing  from  four  to  six  feet  away,  have  some  one  strike 
a  high  note  and  then  a  low  note.  The  difference  in  the 
force  of  the  vibrations  as  they  strike  the  hat  will  be  very 
pronounced.  This  experiment  can  also  be  tried  near  an 
orchestra  or  band  when  the  musicians  are  playing. 

The  tuning  of  a  string  is  nothing  more  than  the  pro- 
ducing of  a  specific  tension,  so  that  when  it  is  affected  by 
the  touch  or  other  means,  it  will  give  forth  a  given 
number  of  vibrations  in  a  second.  The  vibrations  of  mid- 
dle C  in  a  piano  is  256  per  second.  The  lowest  tone  per- 
ceived by  the  human  ear  is  24  vibrations  per  second,  and 
the  highest,  32,768.  If  the  mental  organization  of  a 
certain  person  was  tuned  to,  say,  middle  C,  his  thought 
vibrations  v^^ould  influence  every  person  they  came  in 
contact  with  who  was  tuned  to  the  same  tone.  The  num- 
ber of  persons  reached  would,  of  course,  be  determined 
by  the  distance  the  vibrations  traveled,  and  the  distance 
would  depend  upon  the  strength  of  the  Will  that  dis- 
patched them. 

It  is  by  this  same  law  that  a  wireless  message  is  directed 


53 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

and   attracted  to   its  respective   station.     Each  telegraph 

instrument  is  tuned  to  an  individual  tone,  but  this  tone 

can  be  changed  as  there  is  need  for  it.    When  a  message 

IS   to  be  sent   from   one  station  to   another,  the  operator 

ascertains  the  tone  of  the  instrument  at  the  station  to 

which  he  wishes  to  send  the  message,  and  then  tunes  his 

dispatching  instrument  to  the  same  tone.     The  message 

is  then  sent,  and  while  it  goes  to  all  parts  of  the  world, 

it  is  only  recognized  and  taken  up  by  the  one  receiver.    If 

all  the  receivers  were  of  the  same  tone,  each  would  get 

the  same    message    almost    instantly,    for  light,  electric 

and  thought  waves  travel  on  the  ether  at  the  rate  of 

186,000  miles  per  second. 

The  mental  organization  of  a  person  is  tuned  by  the 

character  of  his  thoughts,  and  the  tension  or  strength  of 

his  Will.     It  is  always  in  tune  with  some  people,  and  in 

harmony  with  many  others.     But  these  people  may  not 

always  be  those  he  should  be  in  tune  or  harmony  with,  for 

his  best  good.     This  mental  relationship  is  more  often 

due  to  chance  than  to  a  command  from  the  Will,  and  its 

continuance  is  usually  the  result  of  not  understanding 

the  Law  of  Mentalism.     The  information  or  thoughts  he 

gains   from   this   relationship  may  do  him   more  harm 

than  good,  for  his  destiny  would  thus  be  shaped  by  it  and 

not  by  himself. 

54 


Harmony — the    Kev 

The  secret  of  success  lies  in  knowing  how  to  obtain 
from  others  the  information  desired — the  knowledge  that 
will  be  of  the  most  benefit,  and  at  the  same  time  not  per- 
mitting oneself  to  be  influenced  by  the  thoughts  and 
designs  of  those  whose  influence  would  be  detrimental. 

To  place  oneself  in  harmony  with  another  or  with  a 
number  of  people  is  not  at  all  difficult,  but  to  raise  or 
lower  the  mental  tone  until  it  is  of  exactly  the  same  vibra- 
tion as  that  of  another  person  will  require  more  time  and 
considerable  self  study.  It  must  first  be  understood  that 
every  subject  or  line  of  thought  has  its  own  tone  of 
vibration ;  that  is,  love  has  one  tone,  and  hate  the  opposite 
tone.  If  one  sends  out  thought  vibrations  of  hate,  they 
will  reach  and  affect  those  who  are  capable  of  a  similar 
passion.  These  thoughts  will  attract  feelings  of  hate 
from  all  those  people,  and  their  multiplied  thoughts  will 
come  back  to  the  sender  and  injure  him.  If  vibrations  of 
love  are  sent  out,  love  will,  in  the  same  way,  come  back 
and  help  him.  When  one  needs  help  to  aid  in  business 
or  in  the  carrying  out  of  some  important  plan,  as  in 
perfecting  an  invention,  etc.,  he  must  concentrate  and 
think  of  the  purpose  or  object,  analyze  it.  and  by  the 
power  of  his  Will  project  those  thoughts  to  some  one  or 
to  all  who  have  knowledge  along  the  line  of  his  desire. 


55 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

Unless  these  people  are  at  the  time  controlled  by  a  stronger 
Mentalism  from  another  source  they  will  unconsciously 
allow  the  knowledge  they  possess  to  be  used.  We  are  in 
sympathy  and  in  harmony  with  all  who  are  interested  in 
the  same  subject.  We  cannot  reach  people  who  have  no 
knowledge  along  the  line  of  thought  we  may  have  under 
consideration,  though  we  can  reach  them  by  taking  up  a 
subject  in  which  they  are  interested. 

To  be  in  harmony  with  others  is  very  important,  but 
to  have  our  mental  organization  tuned  to  the  same  tone  or 
vibrations  as  that  of  some  great  mind,  is  an  accomplish- 
ment that  one  can  afford  to  work  hard  to  attain.  We  are 
in  constant  communication  with  those  of  the  same  tone, 
and  respond  to  each  other  as  one  tuning  fork  vibrates  in 
unison  with  another.  We  find  the  most  perfect  illustration 
of  this  in  the  cases  of  true  friendship  and  pure  affection. 
Happiness  and  harmony  will  always  exist  where  two 
minds  are  tuned  in  unity.  It  is  through  concentration  and 
thinking  that  our  lives  change  to  the  tone  of  those  who 
are  able  to  feel  and  understand  us. 

While  writing  this  work,  I  am  in  continuous  concen- 
tration and  simply  write  down  the  thoughts  as  they  come 
to  me.  From  whom  or  from  how  many  persons  they  come, 
I  cannot  say.    It  was  while  concentrating  that  the  Law  of 

56 


Harmony  —  the    Key 

Mentalism  was  revealed  to  me.  It  came  with  the  sudden- 
ness of  a  flash  of  lightning,  and  the  name  of  the  science 
appeared  in  my  brain  as  though  formed  in  letters  of  fire. 
That  I  have  been  compelled  to  write,  proves  to  me  that 
there  is  great  mental  force  back  of  the  knowledge  I  have 
acquired.  I  have  been  taught  to  comprehend  the  Law 
that  through  me  it  might  be  given  to  the  world.  Some 
people  claim  that  I  am  writing  under  inspiration.  I  am ; 
it  is  the  inspiration  from  the  combined  thoughts  of  several 
minds  that  are  of  the  same  tone  as  mine.  Intelligence  is 
the  property  of  no  man.  It  is  ours  to  use,  but  we  cannot 
monopolize  it  or  keep  it.  Every  man  may  use  as  much  of 
it  as  he  desires  and  works  for,  but  he  must  pass  it  on  for 
others  to  use. 


57 


i 


"Thou  hast  made  him  a  little  lower  than  Thyself,  and  hast 
crowned  him  with  glory  and  honor.  Thou  madest  him  to  have  do- 
minion over  the  works  of  Thy  hands ;  Thou  hast  put  all  things  under 
his  feet." — Psalmist. 


Chapter    V. 


How   to    Cultivate    U^ill  Power 


In  the  accomplishment  of  a  desire,  the  Will  Power 
plays  a  large  part.  With  a  strong  Will,  thought  mes- 
sages can  be  projected  and  dispatched  to  their  destination, 
no  matter  how  far  distant.  If,  however,  the  Will  is  weak 
and  the  distance  long,  the  message  may  not  reach  the  per- 
son for  whom  it  was  intended,  and  therefore  be  wasted. 
In  the  case  of  a  weak  Will  the  person,  without  mental 
help  from  others,  is  only  able  to  afifect  those  who  are  near 
or  at  a  short  distance  from  him.  A  weak  Will  can  be 
strengthened  by  mental  exercise  much  the  same  as  any 
other  faculty  can  be  developed. 

There  are  few  people  who  understand  enough  of  the 

6i 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

quality  of  their  Will  Power  to  know  if  it  is  strong  or 
weak.  They  mistake  stubbornness,  obstinacy  and  head- 
strong action,  and  often  temper,  for  a  strong  Will.  Such 
demonstrations  and  characteristics  are  the  result  of  an  un- 
controlled Will.  They  are  but  spasmodic  outbursts  that 
leave  the  Will  weaker  than  before,  and  at  the  same  time 
cause  the  person  to  become  discouraged  with  his  own 
weakness  and  lack  of  self-control.  The  true  Will  has 
the  force  and  continuity  to  persistently  stick  to  a  purpose 
whether  it  pertains  to  only  one  or  to  all  of  the  actions 
and  interests  which  go  to  make  up  the  life's  career.  A 
strong  Will  never  hesitates  or  falters  after  a  decision  has 
been  made.  It  steadily  perseveres  until  the  purpose  is 
accomplished. 

A  powerful  Will  gives  to  the  person  the  ability  to  throw 
great  energy  into  a  given  thought  and  keep  it  there  until 
the  object  is  attained.  That  thought  may  be  for  some  per- 
sonal action,  or  for  the  action  of  another  person,  or  even 
for  a  body  of  people.  A  strong  Will  can  control  a  number 
of  people  just  as  easily  as  it  can  control  one  person.  The 
mental  vibrations  which  reach  one  can  in  time  reach  all, 
for  the  mental  tone  of  each  can  be  ascertained  and  har- 
monized where  the  Will  perseveres. 

The  Will  may  seem  to  be  strong,  because  one  is  able  to 

62 


How  to  Cultivate  Will  Power 

throw  enormous  energy  into  some  special  effort,  but  this 
is  no  criterion.  Its  strength  is  tested  by  the  ability  to 
carry  out  a  continuous  course  of  conduct.  If  one  is  given 
to  hesitating  as  to  which  of  two  things  he  will  do,  his  Will 
Power  is  weak,  and  he  will  do  neither.  If  he  makes  a  res- 
olution and  then  allows  himself  to  change  it  because  of 
the  suggestions  of  another,  he  is  being  influenced  through 
Mentalism,  and  is,  in  a  degree,  a  slave,  for  he  has  sacrificed 
his  individuality  and  right  to  decide  on  his  own  affairs; 
he  is  carrying  out  another's  thoughts  and  not  his  own. 
He  will  lose  confidence  in  himself,  and  his  Will  will 
constantly  grow  weaker, 

\^It  is  evident  to  all  who  study  men  and  watch  the  af- 
fairs of  life  that  the  person  who  fluctuates  from  one  opin- 
ion to  another,  and  from  one  plan  to  another,  never  ac- 
complishes any  real  or  useful  purpose  in  life.  He  cannot 
attain  permanent  success.  Some  people  rarely,  if  ever, 
come  to  a  definite  decision  or  determination.  They  drift 
like  a  cork  upon  the  waves,  and  are  the  plaything  for 
every  thought  wave  that  reaches  them.  These  arc  the 
people  who  complain  of  being  buffeted  by  the  world. 
Their  Wills  are  so  weak  that  when  the  time  comes  that 
they  should  make  a  decision  of  great  importance — one 
that  may  perhaps  affect  their  entire  future,  they  are  help- 

63 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

less  and  unable  to  decide.  The  opportunity  comes  and 
goes  never  to  return  again.  When  they  see  what  has  been 
lost,  they  blame  it  all  to  destiny.  What  do  you  suppose 
made  their  destiny?  Why,  the  thoughts  of  others,  be- 
cause they  would  not  make  it  for  themselves.  ) 

The  cultivation  of  the  Will  Power  is  without  doubt  the 
first  duty  every  person  owes  to  himself  and  to  his  family. 
Without  a  strong  Will  he  can  have  neither  firmness,  in- 
dependence nor  individuality  of  character.  Without  it 
he  cannot  give  truth  its  full  force,  or  morals  their  proper 
guidance,  nor  save  himself  from  being  the  slave  of  other 
people.  (The  Will  can  only  be  developed  and  strengthened 
by  absolute  adherence  to  wise  and  intelligent  resolutions. 
The  person  must  first  consider  wisely,  then  resolve  firmly, 
and  then  carry  out  the  purpose  with  inflexible  persever- 
ance  and  not  allow  the  little  difficulties  which  may  arise 
tojdiscourage  hjnLAAll  who  will  adhere  to  these  rules 
can  advance  to  the  highest  position  in  the  career  for 
which  they  are  best  adapted. 

(Always  concentrate  your  attention  on  the  question 
that  comes  up  for  consideration.  Decide  carefully  and 
to  the  best  of  your  ability  under  the  existing  circum- 
stances, but  alwavs  make  the  decision  final.  Never  leave 
any  question  half  decided,  as  this  is  more  disastrous  to 


64 


How  to  Cultivate  Will  Power 

the  Will  than  no  decision  at  all.  After  deciding,  persevere 
as  long  as  you  have  reason  to  believe  you  are  right,  but 
do  not  be  obstinate  or  unreasonable.  It  often  requires  a 
stronger  Will  to  acknowledge  a  mistake  than  it  does  to 
stand  obstinately  by  an  error.  When  you  see  that  you 
have  made  a  mistake,  exercise  your  Will  and  correct  it. 
r  Always  decide  for  yourself,  as  you  will  only  weaken  your 
Will  by  calling  upon  other  people  to  help  you  decide  and 
act.  Every  effort  made  to  maintain  a  decisive  state  of 
mind,  acts  directly  upon  the  Will  and  strengthens  it.  A 
determined  resolution  to  decide  intelligently  and  force- 
fully all  questions  of  life  as  they  present  themselves, 
rather  than  allow  them  to  wait  for  something  to  turn  up, 
or  until  the  thoughts  of  some  one  else  influences  the  de- 
cision, will  add  great  strength  to  the  weakest  Will.    J 

The  ability  to  carry  out  the  following  rules  will  deter- 
mine the  strength  of  your  Will.  When  it  is  easy  to  guide 
your  life  by  these  rules,  you  will  then  be  in  possession  of  a 
perfectly  controlled  Will.  Read  the  following  rules  once 
eyerv  day  and  resolve  to  make  them  your  guide  at  all. 
times :  '^^ 

I  will  be  master  of  my  own  actions. 

I  will  never  permit  myself  to  become  confused  or  ex- 
cited. 


65 


The   Law  of  Mentalism 

I  will  never  yield  to  temper  nor  entertain  irritation. 

I  will  never  make  a  decision  in  haste. 

I  will  never  entertain  regrets  after  I  have  made  a  de- 
cision. 

I  will  make  my  decisions  final  and  never  do  anything 
by  halves. 

I  will  never  act  contrary  to  my  own  judgment. 

I  will  never  decide  to  do  that  which  will  injure  other 
people. 

I  will  always  be  honest  with  myself  and  in  my  dealings 

with  others. 

.f^  .  .  .  . 

i  I  will  impress  these  decisions  upon  my  mmd  and  live 

up  to  them  every  day,  j 

Adhere  to  these  decisions  as  closely  as  you  can,  and 

always  depend  upon  your  own  best  judgment.     Other 

people  may  be  right  and  you  in  error,  but  by  following 

their  ideas  you  will  not  strengthen  your  Will.     If  you 

should  make  a  mistake,  the  experience  will  help  you  by 

making  you  wiser  for  the  future.     Do  not  attempt  to  do 

too  much  at  first,  for  therein  is  a  great  source  of  failure. 

Accomplish  one  thing  at  a  time,  and_each  day  add  some 

new  duty.     You  would  not  expect  a  child  to  run  before 

it  has  learned  to  walk.     Many  people  scatter  their  plans 

over  too  large  a  field,  and  while  they  are  competent  to  do 

66 


How  to  Cultivate  Will  Pov\'er 

great  things,  if  done  systematically  and  in  order,  they 
fail  l:)ecause  they  never  come  to  a  decision  as  to  just  what 
they  are  going  to  do  first. 

When  the  Will  has  gained  sufficient  strength  to  be 
able  to  make  its  own  decisions,  the  person  may  then  con- 
centrate for  the  purpose  of  attracting  to  him  thoughts 
and  opinions  from  the  minds  of  other  people.  These 
ideas  he  may  compare  with  his  own,  and  then  select  from 
them  the  best  for  his  purpose.  It  is  not  safe  for  him  to  do 
this  if  he  is  not  assured  that  he  has  perfect  control  of  his 
Will.  For  if  there  is  a  lack  of  confidence,  he  might  be 
led  into  believing  that  the  opinions  of  others  were  su- 
perior to  his  own.  To  take  them  and  act  upon  them  un- 
der these  circumstances  might  be  disastrous  not  only  to 
the  plans  in  question,  but  also  to  the  future  development 
of  his  Will  and  individuality  of  character. 

Each  person  should,  by  means  of  Mentalism,  gain  as 
much  information  as  possible  that  he  may  apply  it  to  the 
advancement  of  his  plans,  but  he  must  not  permit  others 
to  force  their  thoughts  and  plans  upon  him.  He  must 
be  able  to  make  his  own  selection  and  decision,  otherwise 
he  might  feel  constrained  to  carry  out  the  ideas  of  others, 
even  at  a  great  loss  to  himself.  Many  do  certain  things 
and  afterwards  ask  themselves  why  they  did  them,  and 

67 


The   Law  of  Mentalism 

are  unable  to  find  a  reason  for  it.  They  were  at  the 
time  under  the  influence  of  the  thoughts  of  another 
person. 

My  object  in  teaching  this  science  to  the  world  is  to 
make  men  and  women  individuals ;  to  make  them  Gods  in 
mental,  moral,  spiritual  and  physical  strength.  The  soul  of 
man  was  made  in  the  image  of  God,  and  it  is  man's  duty 
to  keep  himself  as  nearly  a  perfect  image  as  possible.  All 
who  are  willing  to  try,  should  be  guided  by  this  science, 
for  it  will  help  them. 

While  reading  and  studying  these  instructions,  your 
life  is  brought  in  contact  with  mine  through  Mentalism. 
If  there  is  any  part  of  this  science  that  you" do  not  compre- 
hend, you  can  learn  it  from  me  by  concentrating,  for  the 
thoughts  I  use  are  always  at  the  command  of  those  who 
are  in  harmony  with  me.  The  more  faithfully  these  in- 
structions are  followed,  the  more  closely  3'ou  will  come 
into  communication  with  me.  After  a  little  practice  you 
will  find  it  as  easy  to  call  me  to  you  by  the  virtue  of  our 
Mentalism,  as  it  would  be  to  ring  me  up  on  the  telephone  if 
we  were  living  in  the  same  town.  Remember  that  distance 
is  no  barrier;  my  thought  vibrations  travel  around  the 
world.  You  cannot  get  beyond  them.  If  you  send  good 
thought  vibrations  to  me,  the  best  I  have  will  come  back 

to  you. 

68 


"In  solitude  and  silence  the  holy  soul  advances  with  speedy  steps 
and  learns  the  hidden  oracles  of  God." — Thomas  a-Kempis. 


Chapter    VI. 


Solitude    and    C oncentr at io 


n 


The  value  of  solitude  cannot  be  over-estimated.  All 
great  deeds  are  born  in  solitude,  and  all  great  characters 
are  formed  there.  Why  do  so  many  of  our  great  men 
come  from  lonely  country  life?  Because  the  isolation 
gave  them  a  chance  to  develop  thoughts  and  build  up 
character.  These  men  are  not  mere  parrots,  imitating 
other  people ;  they  lead  individual  lives ;  they  control 
through  Mentalism  in  place  of  being  controlled  by  it. 

All  good  impulses  are  stimulated  by  judicious  solitude 
and  concentration  of  thought.  The  fine  work  of  an  actor 
is  studied  out  in  the  quiet  of  his  room,  and  not  in  the 
noise  at  the  actor's  club.     It  was  in  solitude  that  Booth 


71 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

and  Forrest  found  expression  for  their  great  emotion. 

Newton  studied  his  problems  in  the  sand  away  from 
other  people,  and  there  he  gained  great  inspiration  and 
knowledge. 

Bacon  cried  out,  "My  spirit  hath  been  much  alone," 
and  to  his  long  hours  of  loneliness  we  are  indebted  for  his 
wonderful  philosophical  work,  which  is  now  the  founda- 
tion of  all  accurate  modern  science. 

In  Mark  I..  35,  we  read,  "And  in  the  morning  rising 
up  a  great  while  before  day.  He  went  out  and  departed 
into  a  solitary  place  and  prayed." 

f  Edison,  the  great  inventor,  often  remains  hi  his  office 
or  workshop  for  days  at  a  time  without  leaving  to  eat  or 
^sleep,  when  he  is  concentrating  for  new  thoughts  for  his 
inventions.  Perseverance  and  the  use  of  Mentalism  have 
made  him  a  wonderful  man  in  the  eyes  of  the  public,  but 
many  others  might  be  equally  as  great  as  he,  if  they 
would  do  as  he  does.  jAll  men  inherit  the  same  priveleges, 
and  are  entitled  to  the  use  of  this  great  power — intelli- 
gence. 

When  Burns,  the  poet,  was  poor  and  had  no  friends 
to  disturb  his  solitude,  he  wrote  marvelous  poetry,  but 
when  he  was  called  a  great  poet  and  spent  his  time 
lounging  about  the  rooms  of     fashionable     women,  he 


72 


Solitude    and    Concentration 

stopped  writing  good  poetry  and  wrote  the  trashiest  kind. 

Many  a  genius  is  ruined  by  his  first  success.  Not  real- 
izing that  his  great  inspirations  come  from  concentration 
of  thought  in  soHtude,  he  rushes  into  the  mad  whirl  of 
society,  there  to  be  flattered  and  have  his  thoughts  di- 
verted, and  from  that  time  the  work  he  does  is  usually  of 
a  very  ordinary  character.  A  certain  amount  of  time 
spent  in  society  is  of  advantage,  but  an  excess  of  it,  or 
even  of  solitude,  is  as  injurious  as  any  other  excess.  Man 
should  mingle  with  his  fellow  men,  get  advice,  encour- 
agement, and  suggestions  from  them,  but  he  should  spend 
not  less  than  one  hour  of  each  dav  in  thinkins:  and  self 
study.  Concentration  will  improve  the  memory  more 
quickly  than  any  other  method. 

Parents  who  are  f(jrtunate  enough  to  have  a  thought- 
ful child,  one  that  sits  and  contemplates  a  toy  or  doll  in 
solitude  with  its  thoughts  seemingly  far  away,  should  not 
advise  it  to  run  and  play  with  the  others.  (They  should  be 
glad  for  its  sake  that  its  mind  is  developing  thought  and 
building  character,  while  other  children  are  losing  their 
identity  in  constant  mingling  with  the  thoughtless.j 
^There  is  no  doubt  but  that  a  brain  surrounded  on  all 
sides  and  at  all  times  with  chattering  minds  that  run  in 
grooves,  has  no  possible  chance  for  development,  j  Chil- 

73 


The  Law  of   Mentalism 

dren  should  be  taught  to  think.  The  value  of  good 
thoughts  and  the  destructive  effect  of  evil  thoughts  should 
be  explained  to  them.  This  part  of  their  education  should 
not  be  neglected. 

When  a  man  forgets  a  word,  a  name,  or  the  location 
of  some  article  he  desires,  he  stops  and  concentrates  his 
mind  and  centers  his  thought  on  that  which  he  has  lost 
until  the  knowledge  comes  to  him.  Should  any  one  speak 
to  him  during  that  time,  he  will  sav.  "Don't  bother  me 
now,  I  am  trying  to  think  of  something."  If  the  mind 
needs  temporary  quietude  and  concentration  on  so  small 
a  problem,  how  much  more  it  must  need  it,  if  it  is  to  do 
serious  and  important  work!  By  concentrating  in  quiet- 
ude, the  person  can  use  the  Mentalism  under  his  control 
and  do  work  he  believed  himself  incapable  of  doing. 

Those  who  would  attain  the  best  results  from  this  or 
an)''  other  study,  must  not  overlook  the  importance  of 
concentration  and  solitude.  They  should  take  themselves 
away  from  the  noise  and  excitement  of  the  busy,  bust- 
ling world,  and  seek  the  quiet  of  their  own  room,  where 
they  can  rest  the  body,  be  alone  and  concentrate  their 
thoughts  on  the  work  they  desire  to  accomplish. 

In  preparing  to  send  and  receive  communications,  an 
easy  position  in  a  comfortable  chair  should  be  taken ;  the 


74 


Solitude    and    Concentration 

head  held  quite  straight  so  that  the  blood  supply  will  not 
be  cut  off  from  the  brain.  The  eyes  should  then  be 
closed  for  a  few  moments  to  rest  them.  Following  this 
the  sight  must  be  centered  upon  some  small  object  three 
or  four  feet  distant,  and  the  person  then  commence  to 
think  of  the  subject  on  which  he  desires  information,  or 
of  the  person  he  wishes  to  influence  or  mentalize.  Under 
these  favorable  conditions  mental  vibrations  can  be  sent 
out  that  will  reach  the  brains  of  great  men,  who  are  in 
harmony  with  those  thoughts,  and  stimulate  their 
thoughts  on  that  subject  until  they  unconsciously  give 
back,  through  Mentalism,  the  information  desired. 

After  the  person  has  projected  his  thoughts  for  from 
fifteen  to  thirty  minutes,  he  should  relax  the  Will  and  al- 
low his  brain  to  become  passive,  so  that  it  may  receive 
the  new  thoughts  as  they  come  to  him.  In  this  way 
he  will  be  able  to  obtain  from  the  minds  of  great  men  in- 
formation that  will  help  to  build  his  success.  It  is  al- 
ways well,  on  these  occasions,  to  have  a  note  book  and 
pencil  handy,  so  that  the  new  ideas  as  they  come  may  be 
written  down.  One  may  in  this  way  get  a  single  idea 
that  wall  later  be  the  means  of  changing  his  whole  career. 
The  ideas  and  plans  for  great  inventions  all  come  in  this 
manner. 


75 


The  Law  of   Mentalism 

Let  all  who  read  this  remember  that  they  should  spend 
one  hour_each  day  in  concentration.  If  no  other  time  is 
available,  it  can  be  done  at  night  before  retiring. 

When  the  Will  has  so  disciplined  the  brain  that  it  is 
proof  against  all  unwelcome  distractions ;  when  the  per- 
son can  keep  his  eyes  and  thoughts  steadily  fixed  upon  his 
chosen  goal,  he  has  thoroughly  learned  how  to  concen- 
trate. He  can  then  utilize  Mentalism  with  an  assurance 
of  success. 

A  simple  experiment  in  the  transference  of  thought 
may  be  carried  out  in  the  following  manner : 

Let  one  person  hold  a  pack  of  cards  and  take  a  position 
with  his  face  toward  a  corner  of  the  room,  and  have  the 
person  who  is  to  receive  the  message  sit  in  a  comfortable 
chair  with  his  face  toward  another  corner.  The  person 
who  is  to  receive  the  message  may  be  blindfolded,  so 
that  his  attention  may  not  be  distracted  by  objects  around 
him ;  and  should  have  a  pencil  and  paper  so  that  he  may 
make  a  note  of  the  information  that  comes  to  him.  The 
first  person  will  then  draw  from  the  pack  one  card  and  con- 
centrate his  thoughts  upon  the  design,  color  and  denomin- 
ation. He  should  not  hold  more  than  one  card  at  a  time. 
The  other  person  will  take  note  of  the  information  that 
comes  to  him.  After  a  few  experiments  very  accurate  mes- 

76 


Solitude    and    Concentration 

sages  can  be  transferred.  As  soon  as  the  mental  organiz- 
ations of  the  two  persons  are  in  harmony,  experiments  can 
be  made  with  coins,  single  words,  short  sentences,  and 
eventually  with  messages  of  almost  any  length.  By  hold- 
ing salt,  sugar,  vinegar,  etc.,  in  the  mouth,  the  taste  can  be 
transferred  to  the  person  who  is  acting  as  a  receiver.  By 
arranging  with  some  one  at  a  distance  to  make  himself 
passive  at  a  certain  hour,  and  note  the  thoughts  that  come 
to  him,  the  same  effect  can  be  produced.  If  he  should 
forget  the  appointment,  the  other  person  can  by  concen- 
tration cause  him  to  remember  it.  I  have  known  of  many 
instances  where  long-distance  tests  were  to  have  been 
made,  where  one  of  the  parties  had  forgotten  the  time, 
and  the  concentration  of  the  other  caused  a  "mental  pull- 
up,"  as  it  is  called,  thus  forcing  the  forgetful  party  to  re- 
member his  appointment.  Distance  is  no  barrier  to  the 
transference  of  thought  between  two  minds  of  the  same 
tone  or  two  that  are  in  harmonv. 


77 


I 


"The  thought  is  prior  to  the  fact;  all  thf  facts  of  history  pre- 
existed in  the  mind  as  laws.  A  man  is  the  whole  encyclopedia  of 
facts.     Of  the  wt.rks  of  this  mind  history  is  the  record." — Emerson. 


Chapter    VII. 


How  CharaSier  a?id  Destiny  are  Formed 
and  Controlled  by  Mentalism 


Whether  we  accept  the  teachings  of  evolution  or  not,  the 
fact  remains  that  man  is  the  highest  product  of  the  ani- 
mal kingdom.  Physically,  he  is  the  best  type  of  life  with 
which  the  earth  is  peopled.  In  man  Nature's  organic 
functions  reach  their  most  complete  development.  But  it 
is  his  mental  and  not  his  physical  qualities  that  give  to 
him  his  pre-eminence.  Without  the  guidance  of  the  God- 
given  power  of  mind  (soul),  man  would  be  little  better 
than  the  beast.  As  an  example,  note  the  pitiable  spec- 
tacle of  the  idiot. 

While  mankind  is  easily  distinguished  from  the  "jrute 
creation,  individual  man  is  quite  as  easily  distinguished 

8i 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

from  his  brother  man.  Heredity  has  done  much  toward 
maintaining  a  similarity  in  the  human  family,  but  the  in- 
fluence of  environment  and  Mentahsm  has  done  more  to 
change  it.  As  a  result,  no  two  persons  can  be  said  to  be 
alike,  in  the  sense  that  they  exactly  resemble  each  other, 
either  mentally  or  physically.  Even  in  the  case  of  twins, 
there  is  a  marked  difference.  If  all  men  should  think 
alike,  thev  would  look  alike  and  work  alike.  All  differ- 
ences  would  be  eliminated,  and  they  would  as  closely  re- 
semble each  other  as  "one  pea  resembles  another."  There 
would  be  no  such  thing  as  opinion,  and  no  such  quality  as 
comparison. 

Mentalism  molds  man's  every  physical  and  mental 
quality,  and  thus  controls  his  whole  being.  At  no  time 
can  he  completely  divorce  himself  from  the  influence  of 
this  dominating  power  which  surrounds  him.  It  is  the 
force  within  him  which  acts  and  reacts  upon  him  without 
consulting  him;  it  is  the  unseen  power  that  shapes  and 
controls  his  life,  and  makes  his  Destiny. 
(_"As  is  the  mind,  so  is  the  form,"  and  "As  a  man 
thinks,  so  is  he."  Man  thus  becomes,  in  a  measure,  the 
servant  of  his  thoughts,  and  through  them  he  works  out 
his  fate.  Man's  character  and  destiny  are  molded  through 
the  influence  of  his  own  thoughts Vnd  the  thoughts  from 

82 


Character   and    Destiny 

those  who  constitute  his  environments.  Thus  the  fatal- 
istic element  is  in  a  sense  removed,  and  man  is  shown  to 
be  a  free  agent  capable  of  developing  such  a  character 
and  destiny  as  he  may  desire.  He  may  chose  and  select 
such  mental  influences  and  environments  as  will  be  bene- 
ficial to  him,  or  he  may  allow  himself  to  be  dominated  by 
evil  thoughts  from  impure  environments,  and  thus  build 
up  an  evil  character,  which  will  react  and  dominate  his 
being  and  form  his  destiny. 

The  traits  of  character  and  the  talents  displayed  by  the 
child  are  the  products  of  the  thoughts  of  the  parents. 
The  child's  nature  was  formed  either  by  these  thoughts  or 
by  the  thoughts  of  those  who  influenced  the  parents  dur- 
ing the  nine  months  preceding  the  birth  of  the  child.  The 
responsibility  of  every  father  and  mother  in  shaping 
the  early  destiny  of  their  children  is  very  clearly  defined 
by  the  Law  of  Mentalism.  If  the  child  is  given  the  advan- 
tage of  a  good  physical,  mental  and  moral  foundation  on 
which  to  build  its  future  character  and  destiny,  it  will  be 
able  to  accomplish  much  greater  results,  and  be  a  credit 
to  the  parents,  and  a  benefit  to  all  humanity.  Those  who 
understand  Mentalism  can  readily  see  how  the  sins  of  the 
parents  are  visited  upon  the  children,  even  unto  the  third 
and  fourth  gfeneration. 


&' 


83 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

An  example  of  how  Mentalism  or  Thought  shapes 
our  destiny  through  our  character,  is  shown  by  the  follow- 
ing illustration : 

Two  sons  were  born  in  a  certain  family,  the  second 
two  years  after  the  first.  The  anticipated  birth  of  the  first 
son  produced  great  pleasure  and  much  hope  in  the  minds 
of  both  parents.  They  were  supremely  happy,  and  during 
the  period  previous  to  its  birth,  were  constantly  thinking 
of  it.  With  the  highest  and  most  noble  thoughts,  they 
planned  for  the  child's  future  career.  In  this  unity  of 
thought  and  love  the  very  highest  and  noblest  character- 
istics of  their  natures  were  execised  and  transmitted  to 
the  unborn  child.  After  its  birth  it  possessed  an  unusu- 
ally agreeable  disposition.  As  it  grew  into  boyhood,  it 
developed  a  kind,  noble,  ambitious,  sincere  character.  The 
talents  he  displayed  were  those  he  had  inherited  from  the 
thoughts  and  desires  of  his  parents.  In  following  his  ca- 
reer it  led  him  into  the  associations  and  society  of  refined 
and  intellectual  people.  His  environments  in  consequence 
were  in  harmony  with  his  tastes  and  character,  and  with 
the  assistance  of  this  class  of  people,  success  was  easily 
attained. 

During  the  time  between  the  birth  of  the  first  and  sec- 
ond son,  conditions  had  changed,  and  the  mutual  love  and 

84 


Character   and    Destiny 

sympathy  between  the  parents  no  longer  existed.  There- 
fore, the  prospective  birth  of  another  child  did  not  pro- 
duce a  sensation  of  pleasure  and  hope  as  before,  but  in- 
stead its  birth  was  looked  upon  as  a  burden  and  a  misfor- 
tune. The  thought  of  the  approaching  birth  irritated  the 
parents,  and  all  that  was  unpleasant  in  their  natures  was 
revealed.  They  neglected  to  plan  for  the  future  of  this 
child  as  they  had  for  the  first.  These  unfavorable 
thoughts  were  transmitted  to  the  child  yet  unborn.  After 
its  birth  it  was  found  to  possess  a  cross,  irritable  temper. 
For  this  it  was  disliked  the  more  by  its  parents,  and  con- 
tinued to  be  the  innocent  victim  of  parental  ignorance. 
During  childhood  days,  it  received  but  little  care  or  atten- 
tion, and  grew  up  without  the  loving  influence  which  had 
been  so  lavishly  bestowed  upon  the  first  born.  While 
growing  from  childhood  to  youth,  he  was  forced  to  select 
his  associates  from  those  whom  he  chanced  to  meet  and 
they,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  were  not  of  an  elevating 
character.  Under  these  unfavorable  conditions  and  en- 
vironments, he  developed  only  the  baser,  more  selfish  and 
material  characteristics.  His  associates  were  not  those 
who  could  assist  him  to  rise  to  any  position  of  import- 
ance. He  drifted  on,  making  no  success,  and  always  get- 
ting into  trouble.     His  life  was  a  failure  in  all  respects, 

8s 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

except  as  an  object  lesson  to  others,  and  a  punishment  to 
his  parents. 

The  MentaHsm  of  the  parents  formed  the  embryo  char- 
acter of  both  their  children  and  attracted  souls  in  har- 
mony with  their  thoughts.  (The  children,  according  to 
their  respective  characters,  selected  their  companions  and 
environments.)  Their  career  was  worked  out  under  the 
influence  of  the  Mentalism  of  these  associations.  The  in- 
fluence of  the  people  with  whom  the  first  son  associated 
was  for  good,  and  it  assisted  him  to  win  success  and  hap- 
piness. The  influence  of  the  people  with  whom  the  second 
son  was  brought  into  contact  was  not  of  an  elevating 
character,  so  it  retarded  his  development,  and  helped  to 
make  his  eflforts  unsuccessful. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  "Like  attracts  like,"  and 
that  "Birds  of  a  feather  flock  together."  The  attraction 
of  like  to  like  is  the  result  of  each  being  tuned  in  harmony. 

Could  any  one  conscientiously  attribute  the  success  of 
this  one  life,  and  the  failure  of  the  other,  to  any  set  pur- 
pose of  destiny?  No,  the  credit  for  the  one  and  the  blame 
for  the  other  belonged  to  the  parents.  Had  the  second 
son,  even  after  birth,  received  the  right  influence,  his 
thoughts  would  have  been  directed  into  a  better  course; 
the  previously  implanted  characteristics  would  have  been 

86 


Charadler    and    Destiny 

largely  overcome,  and  his  mental  organization  tuned  in 
harmony  with  natures  of  a  more  elevating  character.  He 
would  then  have  selected  his  associates  from  among  a 
more  cultured  and  intellectual  class,  and  his  career  would 
have  led  him  into  different  environments,  and  his  destiny 
would  have  been  of  a  different  character.  Had  he  even 
been  taught  the  power  of  his  own  Will  to  shape  his  career, 
and  then  been  given  a  little  encouragement,  he  could  have 
changed  the  course  of  his  destiny. 

There  is  a  cause  for  everything.  Nothing  ever  has 
been  or  can  be  that  is  not  first  created  by  thought.  Where 
there  is  no  thought,  there  is  no  plan  or  picture  to  work 
from.  No  one  can  work  without  a  mental  pattern  to 
guide  him.  All  construction  is  the  execution  of  the  men- 
tal dictates  of  man.  Thought  precedes  all  action,  conse- 
quently our  environments  are  the  result  of  the 
thoughts  of  those  around  us.  If  a  man  has  a  love  of 
Nature  and  the  beautiful,  he  will  display  those  thoughts 
in  the  way  he  furnishes  his  house,  in  the  care  of  his  lawn, 
in  the  cultivation  of  flowers,  in  the  character  of  the  build- 
ing he  occupies,  in  his  dress  and  in  his  speech.  If  the 
grosser  elements  predominate  in  his  mind,  you  will  find 
his  immediate  surroundings  to  be  in  keeping.  This  ap- 
plies to  all  phases  of  human  action.    Thought  illuminates 

87 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

and  transforms  matter.  Architecture  is  but  frozen  music; 
it  is  the  intelHgence  of  man  congealed  in  stone  and  wood. 
The  house,  the  hall,  the  cathedral,  all  correspond  to  the 
thoughts  which  conceived  them.  (^  Our  environments  thus 
become  a  living  picture,  illustrating  the  kind  of  thoughts 
we  think. )  Our  neighbor's  thoughts  are  illustrated  in  like 
manner.  The  environments  in  which  we  live  must  influ- 
ence our  thoughts  in  a  more  or  less  degree.  The  thoughts 
of  the  people  we  associate  with  has  much  to  do  in 
molding  our  character  and  talents,  which  in  turn  shapes 
our  destiny.  It  is  also  evident  that  the  things  we  do,  the 
success  we  gain,  etc.,  cannot  be  greater  than  the  combined 
influence  of  the  thoughts  under  which  we  work.  Then 
as  environment  plays  a  large  part  in  our  thoughts,  it  is 
easy  to  see  how  our  entire  career  and  destiny  can  be 
changed  by  placing  ourselves  under  the  influence  of  dif- 
ferent thoughts  and  new  environments.  We  would  then 
necessarily  think  and  act  differently. 

When  one  is  not  making  a  success,  it  is  because  the 
mental  influence  of  those  with  whom  he  is  associating  is 
not  of  benefit  to  him.  He  should  change  his  environ- 
ments and  associates  for  those  that  are  more  congenial 
and  helpful,  and  thus  gain  success  and  become  the  ruler 
of  his  own  destiny.    If  the  right  influence  is  not  to  be  had 

88 


Charadler   and    Destiny 

near  at  hand,  he  should  reach  out  through  the  power  of 
Mentalism  and  enHst  the  assistance  of  people  at  a  distance 
who  are  in  harmony  with  him.  Every  man  is  a  free 
agent,  and  he  can,  if  he  exerts  his  Will,  shape  his  own 
life  and  be  the  master  of  his  fate.  If  he  refuses  to  take 
advantage  of  this  privelege,  he  will  become  the  slave  of 
the  combined  thoughts  of  others,  and  they  will  shape  his 
destiny  for  good  or  evil. 


89 


"All  goes  to  show  that  the  soul  in  man  is  not  an  organ  like  the 
power  of  memory,  of  calculation,  of  comparison,  but  only  uses  these 
as  hands  and  feet ;  it  is  not  a  faculty,  but  a  light ;  it  is  the  master  of 
all  these." — Emerson. 

"In  the  instruction  of  dreams,  we  shall  catch  many  hints  that  will 
broaden  and  lighten  into  knowledge  of  the  secret  of  Nature." 

— Emerson. 


Chapter    VIII. 


T'he   Immortality   of  the   SouL 
JVhat   are   Dreams  ? 


The  pre-eminence  of  man  over  the  animal  kingdom  is 
due  to  his  superior  quality  of  mind.  This  being  the  high- 
est and  most  perfect  part  of  man.  Through  the  mind  in- 
telligence is  expressed. 

It  is  a  fact  that  intelligence  has  always  existed,  and  we 
know  of  no  reason  why  it  should  not  continue  to  exist. 
The  Law  of  Mentalism  has  demonstrated  conclusively  that 
messages  have  been  and  can  be  received  from  those  who 
have  departed  from  the  body,  thereby  proving  that  some 
part  of  man  continues  to  exist  after  the  destruction  of  the 
body.  This  indestructible  part  has  been  called  the  "Soul." 
It  is  only  natural  that  all  who  have  studied  this  subject 

93 


The   Law   of   Mentalism 

should  conclude  that  the  part  which  lives  after  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  body  must  be  the  highest  faculty  possessed  by 
man,  which  is  the  mind.  Whatever  it  is  that  retains  life  it 
would  be  of  no  further  use  unless  guided  by  intelligence. 
As  the  mind  is  the  organ  of  intelligence,  it  would  be  im- 
possible for  intelligence  to  be  utilized  or  expressed  except 
through  the  mind.  If  the  mind  were  a  physical  organ,  it 
would  have  died  with  the  body.  This  proves  conclusively 
that  the  mind,  like  intelligence,  never  dies.  As  it  is  the 
mind  that  lives,  then  mind  and  soul  must  be  one  and  the 
same.  If  this  is  remembered,  it  will  be  easy  to  compre- 
hend that  the  soul  only  uses  the  body  as  a  place  of  resi- 
dence in  which  to  work  out  its  grand  purpose. 

A  new  soul  is  not  created,  as  some  people  suppose,  by 
either  man  or  God,  every  time  a  child  is  born,  but  instead 
a  fraction  of  the  great  Soul  (God),  or  source  of  in- 
telligence, is  attracted  to  the  new  body  as  a  place  of  resi- 
dence where  it  dwells  until  the  house  becomes  uninhabit- 
able, and  then  it  returns  to  the  source  from  which  it  came, 
there  to  remain  until  another  suitable  habitation  is  pre- 
pared for  it. 

The  soul  is  attracted  to  the  body  through  the  Law  of 
Mentalism.  The  parents  by  their  thoughts  create  the 
characteristics  of  their  child,  and  at  the  same  time  attract 


94 


The  Immortalitv  of  the  Soul 

tj  it  a  soul  that  is  in  harmony  with  those  characteristics 
and  the  physical  house  the  parents  are  building.  If  the 
thoughts  for  the  prospective  child  are  loving,  noble  and 
ambitious,  they  will  reach  out  to  all  parts  of  creation,  if 
necessary,  and  attract  to  the  new  body  a  soul  in  harmony 
with  it.  If  the  thoughts  for  the  child  are  cruel,  selfish, 
gross,  or  indifferent,  that  Mentalism  will  attract  a  soul  or 
mind  that  is  in  harmony,  for  "like  attracts  like." 

Man  has  been  entrusted  with  the  power  to  create  the 
body  or  house  in  which  the  soul  (or  mind)  shall  reside, 
and  is  also  through  the  power  of  Mentalism  permitted 
to  select  the  nature  of  the  soul  which  shall  occupy  the 
house  he  builds,  but  he  cannot  create  or  destroy  the  soul, 
iox  it,  like  intelligence,  has  always  existed  and  always  will 
exist.  Man  is  the  architect  and  builder,  and  if  he  builds  a 
house  with  poor  materials,  and  neglects  to  supply  the  con- 
veniences and  improvements,  he  will  not  attract  a  very 
desirable  tenant.  Those  possessing  an  ambition  for  im- 
provement and  advancement,  will  not  be  attracted  to  it. 
On  the  other  hand,  should  he  design  carefully  a  structure 
of  artistic  and  scientific  proportions,  use  the  best  of  ma- 
terials and  build  it  well,  having  a  purpose  in  view,  and 
finish  it  with  all  the  latest  improvements  that  art  and 
science  can  suggest,  he  would  produce  a  structure  that 


95 


The   Law  of  Mentalism 

would  attract  a  soul  having  tastes  in  perfect  harmony 
with  the  building  and  surroundings.  The  tenant  would 
be  one  who  would  appreciate  the  advantages  and  make 
use  of  the  opportunities  that  the  habitation  afforded. 
From  the  time  the  soul  takes  possession  of  the  body,  it, 
assisted  by  the  thoughts  of  others,  will  keep  the  body  in 
repair,  add  additional  improvements,  or  allow  it  to  go  to 
destruction  as  the  case  may  be.  This  will  depend  upon 
the  character  of  the  soul  that  inhabits  the  body,  and 
the  intelligence  with  which  it  is  associated.  The  Law  of 
Mentalism  teaches  us  to  what  extent  we  are  responsible 
for  the  lives  our  children  lead.  Every  person  should  con- 
sider this  subject  well  before  becoming  the  cause  of  sin 
and  sorrow  to  future  generations.  Think  right  and  you 
will  live  right.  Think  right,  and  your  children  will  be 
guided  by  noble,  generous  souls,  and  will  thus  reflect  as 
in  a  mirror,  your  noble  principles  and  thoughts.  Think 
wrong  and  you  will  live  wrong.  Think  wrong  and  you 
will  see  in  your  children  the  evidence  of  your  own  sins. 
They  will  be  as  judges  standing  before  you  to  constantly 
accuse  you.  Your  own  thoughts  will  thus  make  for  you 
either  Heaven  or  Hell. 


96 


what   are    Dreams? 

WHAT  ARE  DREAMS? 

Dreams  are  the  common  experience  of  every  one,  but 
who  has  ever  been  able  to  satisfy  himself  as  to  their  cause, 
why  they  come,  and  from  what  source?  The  pictures 
that  pass  before  our  inner  vision  during  the  hours  of 
sleep  have  called  forth  much  comment  and  some  scientific 
investigation,  but  as  very  few  people  have  been  able  to 
agree  upon  the  possible  cause  of  the  phenomena,  the  public 
in  general  has  received  very  little  light  on  the  subject. 
Each  person,  however,  has  had  some  dreams  in  which  he 
believed,  and  a  great  many  in  which  he  placed  no  confi- 
dence. Almost  every  one  can  relate  some  instance  in 
which  he  knows  that  certain  things  which  were  first  shown 
to  him  in  a  dream  afterward  actually  occurred.  Any 
mother,  whose  children  are  away  from  her,  knows  that  in 
her  dreams  she  is  always  warned  if  they  are  sick  or  in 
trouble.  If  she  receives  messages  of  this  character,  they 
must  come  from  the  children.  At  least,  that  would  be 
the  most  likely  place  from  which  they  would  come.  To 
presume  that  they  came  from  any  other  source  would  be 
far  less  reasonable. 

For  many  years  I  have  given  the  subject  much  consid- 
eration, but  could  not  come  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion 
until  I  made  the  discovery  of  the     Law  of     Mentalism. 

97 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

Now  all  the  mystery  is  removed  and  a  logical  explana- 
tion is  easily  made.  Dreams  usually  occur  during  the 
hours  of  sleep,  but  not  always.  What  we  call  sleep  is 
simply  the  five  senses  passing  into  a  state  of  unconscious- 
ness. The  faculty  for  thinking  is  usually  quite  active  up 
to  the  time  the  five  senses  go  to  sleep,  and  it  is  doubtful  if 
this  faculty  more  than  passes  into  partial  unconsciousness. 
In  this  state,  the  sleeping  person  is  as  sensitive  to  Mental- 
ism, if  not  more  so,  than  when  awake.  During 
the  sleep  or  unconsciousness  of  the  five  senses,  the  brain 
is  given  the  best  opportunity  to  receive  thought  messages, 
for  there  are  no  external  conditions  to  distract  the  atten- 
tion. 

The  impressions  that  we  call  dreams  are  in  no  wise 
different  from  the  messages  received  during  the  waking 
state.  We  know  that  concentration  is  an  assistance  in 
sending  and  receiving  thought  messages;  and  concentra- 
tion is  closely  related  to  sleep,  for  it  places  the  senses  un- 
der subjection.  The  information  we  receive  in  dreams, 
while  partially  asleep,  is  often  very  complete;  while  at 
other  times  we  receive  but  a  few  thoughts  on  one  subject, 
and  then  a  stronger  thought  wave  from  another  source 
reaches  and  gives  us  information  on  some  other  subject. 
This  mixing  of  pictures,  wherein  things  are  left  incom- 

98 


what   are    Dreams? 

plete,  is  confusing,  and  we  are  unable  to  see  what  reference 
they  have  to  the  affairs  of  our  Ufe.  If  we  consider  these 
dreams  as  thought  messages,  we  will  find  that  they  are  in 
no  wise  different  from  the  thoughts  which  come  and  go 
through  the  brain  during  the  waking  hours.  When  they 
come  in  the  daytime,  little  or  no  attention  is  attached  to 
them,  but  because  they  come  at  night  people  have  placed 
them  in  a  distinct  class. 

Many  of  the  thoughts  received  during  the  night  escape 
us  before  we  have  been  awake  half  an  hour.  This  is  due 
tc  the  fact  that  they  made  but  a  faint  impression  and  were 
of  slight  importance,  or  else  they  were  dispatched  by  a 
weak  Will.  Thoughts  that  make  a  deep  impression,  and 
are  clearly  stamped  upon  the  memory  after  waking,  should 
be  given  the  same  consideration  as  would  be  given  to  a 
message  that  came  in  the  daytime. 

Thought  waves  travel  during  the  night  as  well  as  the 
day,  therefore  they  will  impress  the  brain  that  is  in  har- 
mony with  them,  be  the  time  night  or  day.  There  is 
nothing  strange  about  dreams  when  viewed  from  the 
standpoint  of  Mentalism.  The  law  that  governs  the  day 
messages  also  governs  the  night  messages,  for  they  are 
one  and  the  same. 

In  my  own  experience  I  have  found  that  the  most  im- 

99 


The   Law  of  Mentalism 

portant  information  comes  at  night  after  retiring.  The 
greater  part  usually  comes  before  I  go  to  sleep,  and  some- 
times all  of  it.  But  often  the  message  is  continued  after 
I  have  fallen  asleep,  and  next  morning  I  have  the  knowl- 
edge needed  to  complete  my  plans.  I  could  not  well  call 
part  of  this  a  thought  message  and  the  remainder  a  dream, 
for  they  were  but  one  and  the  same,  and  the  information 
being  continuous,  it  could  have  come  only  by  the  one 
means. 

One  can  readily  see  how  the  Law  of  Mentalism  re- 
moves the  mystery  with  which  dreams  have  been  sur- 
rounded, and  makes  their  import  easily  understood. 
Every  one  should  take  note  of  the  messages  received 
while  asleep,  but  should  be  careful  to  what  extent  they  al- 
low these  thoughts  to  influence  their  actions.  No  infor- 
mation can  be  secured  from  dreams  that  could  not  be 
gained  through  concentrating  during  the  waking  hours. 


lOO 


"Mind  acts  upon  mind ;  therefore,  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  learn 
to  talk  in  thought,  and  all  the  intelligences  that  ever  lived  are  with 
us  and  we  with  them." — H.  H.  Brown. 


Chapter     IX. 


What      is      Genius? 


Genius,  the  power  that  dazzles  mortal  eyes,  has  al- 
ways, been  a  subject  for  serious  consideration  by  those 
who  consider  themselves  less  fortunate.  When  a  man 
achieves  a  great  success  in  his  art  or  profession,  the  world 
calls  him  a  Genius.  Few  people  understand  the  meaning 
of  the  word,  and  a  still  less  number  understand  from 
whence  the  power,  talent  or  ability  comes  that  merits 
such  a  flattering  distinction.  Scientists  claim  that  a 
Genius  is  a  person  with  an  abnormal  ability  for  some  one 
line  of  work  or  art.  He  may  be  a  great  musician,  poet,  ar- 
tist, singer,  writer,  electrician,  or  a  leader  in  any  sphere. 
It  is  certain  that  in  his  make-up  there  is  some  abnormal 

103 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

development  of  intellect;  the  ability  to  grasp  the  facts 
which  others  fail  to  perceive.  A  Genius  is  a  specialist,  for 
he  is  devoted  to  one  line  of  thought.  In  that  particular 
line  he  is  a  giant,  but  in  other  branches  his  knowledge  is 
often  very  limited,  and  sometimes  it  resembles  the  inex- 
perience of  a  child.  The  question  to  be  answered  is,  from 
where  does  he  get  this  particular  knowledge  and  how? 
Scientists  have  been  searching  for  the  answer  to  this 
question  for  thousands  of  years,  and  previous  to  the  time 
of  the  discovery  of  the  Law  of  Mentalism,  they  had  ar- 
rived at  no  satisfactory  solution  of  the  mystery. 

Experience  has  proven  to  us  that  there  is  a  cause  for 
every  effect;  therefore,  we  know  that  there  must  be  a 
cause  for  these  great  mental  demonstrations.  The  Law 
of  Mentalism  has  simplified  the  matter  until  the  truth  be- 
comes as  clear  as  daylight,  and  can  be  readily  understood 
by  people  of  even  ordinary  intelligence.  It,  like  all  great 
discoveries  and  inventions,  is  very  simple  and  easy  to 
comprehend  when  once  it  has  been  explained.  In  life,  it 
is  the  simple  things  that  we  overlook,  because  we  fail  to 
recognize  or  understand  the  Law  that  controls  them, 
and  when  we  behold  the  phenomena  without  realizing  the 
cause,  we  cry  out,  "Wonderful,  wonderful !" 

The  Law  of  Mentalism  being  the  law  which  governs 

104 


what   is    Genius? 

all  intelligence,  it  must  necessarily  govern  all  demonstra- 
tions of  mental  ability,  be  they  great  or  small.  As  has 
been  previously  explained  in  this  work,  each  mental  or- 
ganization is  tuned  to  a  certain  tone  or  pitch,  and  every 
mind  of  the  same  tone  responds  instantly  to  the  thoughts 
of  the  others  as  one  tuning  fork  responds  to  another.  The 
Genius  is  he  whose  mental  organization  is  tuned  to  the 
same  tone  as  that  of  many  other  great  men  who  are  or 
have  lived  on  this  earth,  and  have  devoted  their  lives  to 
the  same  work  or  art.  All  the  intelligence  under  the 
control  of  these  people  are  his  for  the  asking,  for  strong 
thoughts  never  die.  He  unconsciously  uses  Mentalism 
during  his  hours  of  concentration,  (a  Genius  is  always  a 
deep  thinker)  and  thus  attracts  to  himself  from  these 
great  minds,  the  knowledge  that  he  but  uses  as  a  servant, 
and  the  world  sings  his  praises.  The  knowledge  or  ability 
he  displays  did  not  originate  within  him,  for  it  has 
always  existed  and  always  will  exist.  He  will  die  but 
the  intelligence  he  used  will  continue  to  live  in  the  brains 
of  other  men.  His  key-note  gave  him  the  entree  to  the 
knowledge  collected  by  others.  The  thoughts  came  to  his 
brain  without  effort  other  than  that  used  in  concentrat- 
ing and  thinking.  This  combined  intelligence  expressed 
through  one  man  makes  his  ability  and  success  appear  to 

others  as  phenomenal. 

105 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

The  reason  that  a  Genius  has  such  a  limited  knowledge 
of  affairs  outside  of  his  special  talent,  is  because  the  con- 
trolling influence  of  so  much  thought  on  the  one  subject 
allows  him  little  or  no  time  in  which  to  develop  those,  to 
him,  less  important  thoughts,  and  consequently  his  mind 
gets  out  of  harmony  with  them,  and  they  either  come  to 
him  no  more,  or  come  only  as  a  discord.  All  intelligence 
and  knowledge  awaits  to  be  used.  The  knowledge  that 
comes  to  a  Genius  will  come  to  any  one  who  will  use  the 
same  law.  Every  man  is  a  Genius  undeveloped,  and  has 
unlimited  possibilites.  No  one  knows  just  how  much  or 
how  great  the  things  he  can  do,  until  he  is  put  to  the 
test.  Each  man  must  decide  for  himself  just  how  great  or 
how  unimportant  he  will  continue  to  be.  The  Genius 
would  not  be  a  Genius  if  he  did  not  give  to  the  world 
knowledge  greater  than  that  given  to  it  by  other  people. 
It  is  well  to  remember  that  "As  ye  give  so  shall  ye 
receive."  Then  every  man  should  give  unto  the  world 
the  best  he  has  and  the  best  will  come  to  him. 

The  person  who  has  an  ambition  to  become  a  Genius 
should  be  guided  by  the  following  instructions : 

First,  it  will  be  necessary  for  him  to  decide  as  to  the 
sphere  in  life  in  which  he  wishes  to  make  his  mark.  He 
should  select  the  career  for  which  he  is  naturally  best 

io6 


what   is    Genius?^ 

adapted,  that  is,  the  one  in  which  he  can  secure  the 
greatest  mental  assistance  from  others.  This  is  not  so 
difficult  a  problem  to  solve  as  one  might  suppose.  If  the 
person  will  go  to  the  room  he  has  been  in  the  habit  of 
occupying,  and  close  himself  in  so  as  not  to  be  disturbed, 
and  then  make  himself  comfortable,  and  direct  his 
thoughts  back  through  his  past  life  and  recall  the  desires, 
thoughts,  impressions,  promptings,  longings,  etc.,  he  has 
experienced  at  various  times  in  regard  to  some  particular 
work,  business  or  profession,  he  will  have  no  difficulty 
whatever  in  deciding  upon  the  one  with  which  he  has  been 
the  most  impressed.  When  this  point  has  been  decided, 
he  will  have  learned  in  what  calling  he  is  able  to  secure 
the  greatest  amount  of  intelligence  and  assistance  from 
others  through  Mentalism.  He  will  then  know  of  the 
career  in  which  he  can  attain  his  greatest  success.  These 
thoughts  and  promptings  that  came  were  the  mental 
assistance  offered  by  others.  All  have  received  these 
offers,  but  as  they  did  not  understand  the  law,  they  could 
not  know  why  they  came.  You,  dear  reader,  now 
understand  the  Law,  therefore  it  becomes  your  duty  to 
take  advantage  of  these  promptings  for  the  future. 

Those  who  are  not  following  in  their  true  career  should 
commence  at  once  arranging  their  plans  so  that  they  can 


107 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

make  a  start  in  the  right  direction.  It  is  well  for  them  to 
obtain  all  the  printed  and  verbal  instructions  they  can 
relative  to  their  new  work,  but  when  they  come  to  a  point 
that  is  difficult  to  decide,  they  must  concentrate  according 
to  the  instructions  I  have  given  for  that  purpose,  and  they 
will  receive  the  information  necessary,  and  be  able  to 
make  the  correct  decision.  As  they  persevere  with  the 
new  work,  their  mental  organizations  will  gradually  be- 
come tuned  in  harmony  with  people  who  are,  or  have  been, 
successful  in  the  same  career.  As  long  as  one  makes  no 
effort  to  gain  success,  he  will  attract  only  the  thoughts  of 
unsuccessful  people.  It  is  well  known  that  "nothing 
succeeds  like  success,"  and  that  one  failure  brings  another. 
We  have  all  seen  it  demonstrated  many  times  that  when  a 
man  is  successful,  everything  he  undertakes  turns  out 
successfully,  and  when  another  man  has  made  a  failure, 
ruin  soon  surrounds  him.  It  is  all  due  to  the  kind  of 
thoughts  he  thinks.  If  he  sends  out  thoughts  of  success, 
he  attracts  to  him  the  successful  thoughts  and  ideas  of 
others.  If  through  a  mistake  or  an  error  he  becomes 
discouraged  and  thus  permits  himself  to  send  out  unsuc- 
cessful thoughts,  he  is  sure  to  attract  the  same  kind  back 
to  him.  One  should  never  allow  himself  to  become  dis- 
couraged, for  it  only  retards  his  progress,  and  may  cause 

him  to  make  a  failure  of  his  plans. 

1 08 


what   is    Genius? 

If  a  person  will  depend  upon  the  thoughts  that  come 
to  him  during  the  hours  of  solitary  concentration,  he  will 
find  that  he  is  daily  gaining  knowledge  that  before  he 
would  have  believed  impossible.  A  fair  test  of  this  science 
will  prove  to  anyone  that  he  has  in  his  possession  a  valu- 
able, subtle  power.  When  you  have  gained  a  fair  degree 
of  success  through  using  this  power,  do  not  discontinue 
your  efforts,  but  keep  right  on  working  for  greater  devel- 
opment, and  some  day  you  will  be  called  a  Genius.  Those 
who  do  not  use  the  Mentalism  under  their  control  will 
never  rise  above  their  present  position.  Let  courage,  per- 
severance and  determination  be  your  motto.  Remember, 
the  world  makes  way  for  a  determined  man. 


109 


"It  nettles  one  that  truth  should  be  so  simple." — Goethe. 


Chapter    X. 


How  to  SeleSi  the  Right  Vocation 


"  What  am  I  best  adapted  to  do  to  win  success?  "  This 
is  a  question  that  remains  unanswered  in  the  hves  of  a 
great  many  men  and  women.  The  majority  of  people 
would  gladly  engage  in  the  right  business,  work,  or  pro- 
fession, if  they  only  knew  what  they  were  best  adapted 
for,  and  how  to  turn  their  efforts  to  advantage.  In  the 
chain  of  life  each  person  has  some  special  duty  to  perform, 
some  place  to  fill,  for  man  was  not  sent  into  this  world 
without  a  purpose  in  view.  If  he  did  not  possess  some 
value  in  the  evolution  of  affairs,  he  would  not  be  here,  for 
Nature  is  too  economical  to  waste  time  on  the  useless. 
Then,  if  man  has  a  purpose  in  this  existence.   Nature 


113 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

must  have  provided  a  means  whereby  he  might  know  it. 
That  in  many  instances  he  has  not  known  was  because  he 
did  not  understand  the  law.  The  knowledge  can  now  be 
gained  by  all  who  are  willing  to  read  and  learn. 

The  affairs  of  this  world  would  run  much  more 
smoothly  if  each  person  was  doing  his  duty  by  filling 
the  right  position  in  life.  There  would  also  be  much  less 
unrest  and  dissatisfaction.  Under  the  present  conditions, 
almost  every  m.an  is  wearing  out  the  greater  part  of  his 
strength  and  wasting  half  of  his  days  in  trying  to  find  his 
true  place  in  life.  Many  become  discouraged,  give  up  the 
battle,  and  end  in  a  suicide's  grave.  Everywhere  we  see 
splendid  natural  ability  wrecked  by  misfit  occupations. 
There  is  a  crushing,  blighting  influence  in  work  which 
the  soul  loathes  and  against  which  every  faculty  protests. 
There  is  nothing  that  kills  aspiration  and  ambition  more 
quickly  than  trying  to  do  something  for  which  one  is  not 
adapted.  We  see  the  young  man  who  has  mistaken  ambi- 
tion for  ability,  failing  as  a  lawyer  when  he  might  have 
made  a  success  as  a  mechanic ;  the  girl  whom  Nature  in- 
tended for  a  model  housekeeper  trying  to  earn  a  living  on 
the  stage,  or  by  writing,  and  vice  versa ;  the  born  orator 
making  shoes;  the  natural  singer  selling  dry  goods,  etc. 
Parents,  as  a  result  of  ignorance,  misplaced  ambition,  or 

114 


How  to  Seled:  the  Right  Vocation 

excessive  pride,  are  too  otten  responsible  for  the  failure 
of  the  life-work  of  their  children.  They  select  for  them  a 
business  or  profession  without  any  consideration  as  to 
their  natural  ability.  When  parents  attempt  to  oppose  the 
laws  of  Nature,  they  make  a  mistake  that  not  only 
dwarfs  the  faculties  of  those  they  seek  to  benefit,  but  in 
many  instances  also  ruins  the  child's  prospects  for  life. 
There  is  no  longer  any  need  of  this,  for  the  Law  of  Men- 
tali  sm  explains  the  secret  by  which  each  person  can  select 
his  true  career,  and  at  once  begin  to  travel  the  road,  at  the 
end  of  which  is  to  be  found  success  and  fame.  The  men 
and  women  who  desire  to  know  what  they  are  best  adapted 
to  do,  should  analyze  themselves  and  answer  the  following 
questions : 

Have  you  ever  had  a  preference  as  to  the  vocation  you 
would  follow  if  given  your  choice?  Have  you  ever  felt  a 
desire  or  an  inclination  toward  a  special  line  of  work? 
Have  you  ever  experienced  a  longing  or  desire  to  excel  in 
a  certain  profession  or  business  ?  Have  you  ever  felt  that 
it  would  be  a  pleasure  to  do  a  certain  class  of  work? 
If  you  have  had  any  of  these  experiences,  you  already 
know  the  vocation  for  which  you  have  natural  ability. 
These  thoughts  which  constantl}^  re-occur  to  you.  causing 
you  to  wish  to  do  a  certain  class  of  work,  are  the  true 

115 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

promptings  and  guides  for  you  to  follow.  If  they  were 
not  intended  to  guide  you,  they  would  not  constantly 
re-occur  to  you.  These  preferences  and  promptings  do  not 
come  without  a  cause.  There  is  a  law  that  governs 
them.  Could  you  hope  to  succeed  in  a  business  that  was 
unpleasant  to  you  ?  No,  because  your  entire  thought  and 
energy  would  not  be  put  into  the  work,  and  you  would 
make  but  half-hearted  efforts  to  win  success.  If  this  holds 
good  with  your  dislikes,  it  must  hold  good  with  your  likes. 
Then  sum  up  the  desires  and  mental  promptings  that  have 
come  to  you  in  the  past,  and  you  will  be  able  to  decide  at 
once  in  what  career  you  would  make  the  best  success. 

Some  people  may  ask,  "  What  are  these  promptings, 
and  why  should  we  depend  upon  them?  "  They  are  the 
mental  messages  sent  or  attracted  from  those  who  are  in 
harmony  with  your  mental  organization.  They  are  from 
the  people  who  can  and  will  assist  you  to  success.  Do  not 
neglect  to  cultivate  them.  Look  around  and  see  the  many 
lives  that  have  been  ruined  because  the  parents  forced  the 
child  to  follow  a  career  for  which  he  was  not  adapted. 
Thousands  of  men  have  made  absolute  failures  of  the 
work  or  business  they  spent  the  best  years  of  their  lives  in 
trying  to  perfect.  Why?  Because  they  were  not  adapted 
to  it  and  they  knew  it.   x-Vfter  making  the  failure,  many  of 

Ii6 


How  to  Select  the  Right  Vocation 

of  them  began  in  their  true  career  and  made  a  grand  suc- 
cess of  it.  As  soon  as  a  man  learns  that  he  is  not  filling  his 
rightful  place  he  should  discontinue  the  struggle,  and  turn 
his  time  and  efforts  in  the  right  direction.  If  he  uses  his 
knowledge  of  Mentalism  to  attract  the  assistance  from 
others  that  he  needs,  he  will  soon  win  success. 

If  for  any  reason  a  person  cannot  quite  decide  between 
two  careers,  he  should  begin  the  concentration  exercises, 
and  be  guided  by  the  information  that  comes  to  him  dur- 
ing those  hours.  He  will  then  make  the  right  decision. 
After  having  selected  the  correct  calling,  he  must  enter 
into  the  new  work  with  his  whole  mind  centered  upon  it, 
and  say  to  himself  every  day,  "I  will  succeed,  I  will  excel, 
I  will  be  an  honor  to  my  calling."  Our  success  is  the  child 
born  of  our  thoughts.  If  our  thoughts  are  mean  or  indif- 
ferent, our  success  must  be  of  a  like  character.  All  men 
who  have  done  great  things  have  been  noted  for  their  sin- 
cerity of  thought  and  their  devotion  to  a  single  aim;  for 
their  invincible  determination  to  cleave  to  their  purpose, 
and  concentrate  their  powers  upon  a  certain  plan,  until 
they  won  success  in  a  definite  sphere.  Happy  is  he  who 
possesses  the  power  of  assembling  all  his  forces  at  a  sin- 
gle point,  of  focussing  his  energies,  and  of  bringing  them 
to  bear  with  all  the  weight  of  his  entire  thought  upon  the 


117 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

purpose  of  his  life.  This  and  this  only  insures  success. 
To  accomplish  this  one  must  needs  cultivate  a  strong  Will 
and  learn  to  persistently  concentrate  his  thoughts  upon  his 
work.  If  any  reader  of  this  work  has  a  weak  Will  I 
advise  him  to  make  use  of  the  exercises  given  in  a  previous 
chapter.  If  followed,  they  will  insure  a  strong  Will.  If 
the  powers  of  concentration  are  weak,  he  should  practice 
the  concentration  exercises.  Every  hour  spent  in  self-im- 
provement will  repay  a  hundred  fold. 


Ii8 


"When  the  act  of  reflection  takes  place  in  the  mind,  when  we 
look  at  ourselves  in  the  light  of  thought,  we  discover  that  our  life 
is  embosomed  in  beauty." — Emerson. 


Chapter     XI. 


How   to    Strengthen    the   Memory 


To  think  is  necessary,  but  of  what  value  are  thoughts  if 
they  are  not  remembered  ?  A  few  things  remembered  are 
better  than  a  thousand  forgotten.  Memory  means  the 
abihty  to  retain  and  recall  in  mental  pictures  those  things 
which  we  have  previously  become  conscious  of  through 
some  of  our  senses.  The  length  of  time  a  fact  is  retained 
or  remembered  by  the  brain  depends  upon  the  depth  of  the 
impression  it  made  in  the  memory 

The  things  that  come  to  us  suddenly,  or  with  great 
force,  and  thereby  monopolize  our  thoughts  for  the  time 
to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  conditions,  make  an  impres- 
sion on  the  memory  that  can  seldom  if  ever  be  eradicated. 

121 


The   Law  of  Mentalism 

\The  events  in  which  we  evince  little  or  no  interest  are  soon 
forgotten,  because  they  do  not  become  a  part  of  us.  The 
retention  of  a  thought  in  the  memory  depends  upon  the 
force  of  the  thought.  Every  thought  that  remains  in  the 
memory  becomes  a  part  of  our  lives  because  it  stays  with 
us  and  guides  and  governs  us.  If  the  thought  makes  a 
deep  impression  and  is  therefore  retained  in  the  memory, 
it  becomes  an  active  factor  in  shaping  our  future.  If  only 
a  faint  impression  is  made,  it  soon  fades  away  and  loses  its 
influence  over  us.j 

One  cannot  tell  the  value  of  remembering  a  thought  un- 
til the  opportunity  comes  to  use  it.  Many  people  have  had 
thoughts  at  some  time  during  their  lives  that  if  remem- 
bered and  acted  upon  at  the  right  time  would  have  made 
them  rich  or  famous.  Almost  everyone  can  recall  a  time 
when  he  had  a  thought  that  was  valuable;  one  that  filled 
him  with  enthusiasm  and  great  expectations  for  the  time, 
but  he  entrusted  it  to  an  imperfect  memory,  and  when 
eventually  discovered  it  was  too  late  to  make  use  of  it. 

^very  thought  registered  in  the  brain  makes  a  propor- 
tionate change  in  the  matter  of  which  the  body  is  com- 
posed. The  deeper  and  more  lasting  the  thought,  the 
greater  is  the  change  made  by  it.  Therefore,  the  thoughts 
that  help  or  harm  us  are  those  which  we  remember.\Some 

122 


How  to  Strengthen  the  Memory 

people  have  a  memory  for  certain  subjects,  while  they 
seem  to  be  incapable  of  remembering  others.  The 
thoughts,  events,  scenes,  etc.,  that  are  not  remembered 
are  those  with  which  the  person  was  not  in  harmony.  They 
did  not  call  forth  from  him  a  strong  responsve  thought. 

The  memory  is  weakened  or  strengthened  according 
to  the  attitude  displayed  towards  the  events  of  life,  and 
also  by  the  conditions  and  environments  that  surround 
the  person.  If  he  is  indifferent  and  pays  little  or  no 
serious  attention  to  the  things  that  occur  around  him, 
these  things  will  make  but  a  faint  impression  upon  his 
memory,  and  will  have  little  or  no  influence  upon  his  life. 
Who  ever  heard  of  a  gay,  frivolous  creature  having  a  re- 
tentive memory  ?  On  the  other  hand,  do  we  not  find  that 
people  of  serious  thoughts — those  who  study  and  analyze 
science,  art,  etc., — have  good  memories?  Those  people 
take  note  of  every  little  occurrence,  every  detail,  and 
nothing  is  too  insignificant  to  command  their  attention. 
They  think  over  all  they  see  and  hear  and  thereby  impress 
it  indelibly  upon  their  memory.  People  having  poor 
memories  have  only  a  partial  grasp  upon  life;  they  but 
drift  through  and  never  realize  the  beauties  with  which 
they  are  surrounded. 

Fortunately,  memory  can  be  cultivated,  [^o  develop 


123 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

any  faculty,  we  must  use  it.  ]  Exercise  gives  strength. 
Determination  and  concentration  combined  with  exercise 
will  produce  marvelous  results.  One  thought  or  fact 
carefully  recorded  upon  the  memory  is  more  potent  than 
a  dozen  faint  impressions.  To  strengthen  the  memory, 
one  must  direct  his  attention  to  one  subject  and  con- 
centrate his  whole  thought  upon  it,  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
other  sounds  or  attractions.  He  must  shut  out  all  but  the 
picture  he  desires  to  record  in  memory.  To  do  this 
means  that  he  must  listen  intently  when  people  are  talking, 
and  must  look  carefully  at  the  scene  he  wishes  to  re- 
member. Then  he  should  close  his  eyes,  look  within,  and 
carefully  review  every  detail,  analyze  the  meaning,  re- 
call the  points  that  seem  indistinct,  and  live  them  over 
again  in  the  brain  until  they  become  perfectly  clear.  By 
the  time  this  has  been  done,  a  change  will  have  taken 
place  within,  that  has  made  those  thoughts  a  part  of  him- 
self. (He  will  then  be  unable  to  separate  himself  from 
them,  for  they  will  be  recorded  in  his  memory.^ 

Where  do  great  thinkers  go  to  improve  their  memories 
and  record  thoughts  and  events?  Where  do  they  do 
their  studying  and  memorizing?  (They  go  where  they 
can  be  alone ;  where  they  can  live  with  their  thoughts  and 
make  coiTLpanions  of  them;  they  seek  solitude  and  quiet,  j 

124 


How  to  Strengthen  the  Memory 

If  they  can  gain  and  retain  a  strong  memory  in  this  way, 
it  must  be  a  good  example  to  emulate.  [  Every  man  is 
owned  by  the  thoughts  he  thinks,  because  the  thought 
becomes  a  part  of  the  man,  and  the  man  in  turn  becomes 
a  part  of  the  recorded  thought.  J 

All  who  will  practice  the  following  exercises,  and  be 
guided  by  the  instructions,  will  in  a  short  time  observe 
an  improvement  in  their  memoiy,  and  if  they  persevere 
will  acquire  a  memory  that  will  be  satisfactory  in  every 
respect.  Bear  in  mind  that  a  strong  Will  Power  assists 
one  to  persevere  and  concentrate,  and  thus  helps  to 
strengthen  the  memory. 

Let  the  person  decide  upon  an  hour  or  even  a  half 
hour  that  he  can  devote  to  these  exercises.  They  should 
be  taken  at  the  same  time  each  day,  the  evening  being 
preferable.  He  should  go  to  his  own  room  where  he  can 
be  alone.  Then  take  his  thoughts  back  to  the  hour  he 
awakened,  and  commence  from  that  point  to  carefully  and 
thoughtfully  trace  every  action  through  which  he  has 
passed  during  the  entire  day.  He  should  try  to  take  each 
in  its  respective  order,  and  he  must  not  be  in  a  hurry  to 
pass  to  another  event  until  he  has  carefully  analyzed  and 
lived  over  every  little  detail  of  the  scene  he  is  reviewing. 
The  abilitv  to  trace  one  scene  or  act  to  another,  in  con- 


125 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

secutive  order,  will  be  a  test  of  the  memory.  After  having 
followed  this  exercise  for  a  few  days  he  will  find  himself 
taking  a  keener  interest  in  the  events  of  the  day,  and  in 
his  own  actions.  He  will  unconsciously  do  this  so  that  he 
can  recall  them  more  easily  in  his  mental  review.  In 
fact,  he  will  soon  begin  to  observe  little  details  that  pre- 
viously he  would  have  passed  unnoticed.  As  he  perse- 
veres, he  will  learn  to  enjoy  this  closer  observation,  for 
his  experiences  of  yesterday  will  be  remembered,  and  they 
will  guide  him  in  his  actions  today,  and  thus  the  sense  of 
reasoning  will  also  improve.  The  increase  in  knowledge 
and  the  facts  he  w^ll  store  up  will  make  the  exercise 
fascinating. 

It  is  not  what  a  man  earns  but  what  he  saves  that  makes 
him  rich.  It  is  not  what  a  man  observes  but  what  he 
retains  that  makes  him  wise. 

Another  exercise  that  will  invigorate  the  memory 
along  another  line  of  thought  is  to  be  carried  out  as 
follows : — 

The  person  should  take  a  book,  of  his  own  selection,  and 
decide  that  he  will  memorize  all  the  facts  and  truths  it 
contains  so  that  he  can  repeat  in  detail  the  contents  with- 
out referring  to  it.  He  will  then  begin  with  the  first 
sentence  and  read  it  carefully  and  thoughtfully,  analyzing 

126 


How  to  Strengthen  the  Memory- 
each  word  until  he  understands  its  full  meaning.  A 
dictionary  should  be  kept  at  hand  so  that  he  can  look  up 
the  definition  of  any  word  about  which  he  may  have  the 
slightest  doubt.  We  cannot  remember  words  unless  they 
convey  to  us  some  thought  that  we  can  understand,  for 
words  are  but  a  means  of  expressing  thought.  We  re- 
member all  things  by  the  image  or  picture  they  make  in 
the  brain.  If  we  do  not  understand  the  meaning  of  a 
word,  we  can  have  no  mental  picture  of  its  import,  there- 
fore, it  can  leave  no  impression  on  the  memory. 

One  new  sentence  each  day,  if  thoroughly  analyzed 
will  be  a  sufficient  exercise.  Each  day  before  the  lesson 
is  taken  up,  the  person  should  go  over  a  number  of  the 
previous  sentences  again  to  see  if  he  still  retains  them. 

The  third  exercise  to  be  taken  is  by  means  of  solitary 
concentration  in  which  Mentalism  is  to  be  used.  The 
person  will  first  concentrate  his  thoughts  on  some  particu- 
lar person  or  subject  for  at  lease  ten  minutes,  then  relax 
the  Will  and  wait  for  the  mental  messages.  As  the 
thoughts  come  to  him,  he  should  make  a  brief  note  of 
them  on  paper,  but  must  not  attempt  to  write  them  out  in 
detail,  for  in  the  concentration  necessary  to  do  this,  other 
thoughts  will  be  kept  out  that  he  should  receive.  After 
receiving  these  messages  for  from  fifteen  to  thirty  minutes 

127 


The   Law  of  Mentalism 

he  should  then  cease  and  begin  to  write  them  all  out  in 
detail  just  as  he  saw  and  felt  them.  His  ability  to  do 
this  will  be  a  test  of  his  memory.  He  must  read  them 
over  after  having  finished  writing  them  out,  and  keep 
them  until  the  next  dav  at  the  same  hour,  and  then  make 
a  mental  review  and  see  how  well  he  has  remembered 
them.  When  assured  that  they  are  all  recorded  in  his 
memory,  he  may  again  concentrate  for  the  purpose  of 
receiving  new  messages.  Either  or  all  of  these  exercises 
may  be  repeated  once  a  day  or  at  least  every  second  day. 
If  elevating  subjects  are  selected  as  lessons,  they  will 
elevate  and  beautify  the  life,  for  a  man  is  owned  by 
the  thoughts  he  thinks.  The  thoughts  which  are  re- 
corded during  these  exercises  will  play  an  important  part 
in  shaping  the  person's  future  life.  It  is  always  much 
easier  to  learn  to  remember  than  it  is  to  forget.  Then  be 
advised  and  do  not  record  thoughts  that  you  might  after- 
wards wish  to  forget. 


128 


"So  many  Gods,  so  many  creeds, 

So  many  paths  that  wind  and  wind, 
When  just  the  art  of  being  kind 

Is  all  this  old  world  needs." 


Chapter    XII. 


How  Parents  can  Control  their  Children. 
How  to  U^in  Friends  and  AffeSiions 


Parents  desiring  to  easily  and  effectually  control  a 
child  should  exercise  that  control  before  the  child  is  born. 
If  they  will  decide  upon  the  kind  of  a  nature,  character, 
and  disposition  they  desire  the  child  to  possess,  and  then 
proceed  to  mentally  construct  the  child  upon  those  plans, 
they  will  have  little  or  no  trouble  in  controlling  it  after- 
wards. 

Bear  in  mind,  that  a  child  is  not  responsible  for  the 
nature  and  character  it  inherits,  for  it  did  not  create  itself. 
If  the  child  has  a  disagreeable  temper  or  bad  habits,  the 
blame  belongs  to  the  parents.  The  child  in  such  cases  is 
an  innocent  victim  of  the  follies  and  weaknesses  of  its 


131 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

parents ;  it  is  a  living  picture  of  their  combined  thoughts. 
If  parents  will  recognize  their  responsibility,  and  make 
the  correct  use  of  the  Mentalism  under  their  control,  they 
can  give  to  their  children  pleasant  dispositions  and  attract 
agreeable  souls  that  are  in  perfect  harmony  w^ith  their 
thoughts  and  desires.  Those  having  children  that  are 
difficult  to  control  will  need  to  observe  the  following 
advice  and  instructions. 

They  must  first  realize  that  they  and  not  the  children 
are  responsible.  The  conviction  of  this  fact  will  make  them 
more  sympathetic  and  generous,  and  they  will  then  not  be 
inclined  to  blame  the  child  for  the  faults  they  compelled 
it  to  inherit.  It  is  always  hard  to  undo  that  which  has 
been  done,  therefore,  one  must  exercise  patience  if  he 
would  gain  the  best  results.  In  dealing  with  a  child, 
parents  should  consider  that  they  are  dealing  with  them- 
selves, and  be  firm  but  liberal  minded.  They  must  control 
themselves  before  they  attempt  to  control  the  child.  They 
should  never  permit  themselves  to  give  way  to  anger  or 
temper  when  trying  to  direct  or  control  the  child.  If 
they  do,  their  efforts  will  be  fruitless.  If  they  would  de- 
velop strength,  courage,  and  calmness  in  the  child,  they 
must  feel  it  and  express  it  themselves,  for  when  they  be- 
come angry  and  lose  control  of  their  temper,  the  same 


132 


How   to    Control    Children 

thoughts  and  tendencies  are  transmitted  to  and  encouraged 
in  the  child.  Therefore,  instead  of  correcting  it,  they  only 
add  fuel  to  the  fire,  and  its  disposition  is  made  worse  than 
before.  They  cannot  blame  the  child  if  it  follows  their 
example.  When  parents  find  that  they  cannot  control 
themselves  while  talking  to  a  child  to  correct  it,  they 
should  depend  entirely  upon  Mentalism.  Then  when  they 
are  calm  and  self-contained,  give  the  child  the  benefit  of 
their  better  thoughts  for  its  control.  They  will  gain  the 
most  perfect  control  if  they  go  to  its  bed-side  after  it  has 
retired  for  the  night  and  caress  and  love  it  and  talk  to  it 
of  beautiful  things,  and  by  this  means  get  into  perfect 
harmony  with  the  better  part  of  its  nature.  When  this 
has  been  accomplished,  they  may  then  give  it  the  mental 
thoughts — "that  it  will  desire  to  be  a  better  child;  that  it 
will  dislike  to  display  its  temper,  etc."  While  talking  to 
it,  they  should  not  refer  to  the  things  it  did  contrary  to 
their  wishes,  for  that  will  call  back  those  contrary 
thoughts  and  antagonize  it,  and  then  they  cannot  get  into 
harmony  with  it.  Unless  they  are  in  harmony  with  the 
child  their  thoughts  will  not  reach  it  and,  consequently, 
the  time  and  efforts  will  be  wasted.  If  the  life  of  the 
child  is  filled  with  good,  true,  noble  thoughts,  there  will 
be  left  no  room  for  the  evil.     The  character  displayed  by 

133 


The   Law  of    Mentalism 

the  child  is  clue  to  hereditary  traits,  and  unless  they  are 
curbed  and  controlled,  there  is  no  telling  to  what  extent 
they  may  cause  others,  yet  unborn,  to  suffer.  One  evil  life 
impregnates  future  generations  as  yeast  impregnates 
batter. 

Some  remarkable  statistics  have  been  collected  upon  the 
effect  of  hereditary  traits.  I  will  quote  a  case  that  has 
assumed  national  importance :  "A  woman  of  criminal 
tendencies  who  died  in  1827,  had  given  birth  to  several 
children,  all  of  whom  inherited  her  criminal  traits.  By 
following  the  records  of  the  offspring  from  generation 
to  generation,  it  has  been  found  that  up  to  May,  1902, 
no  less  than  seven  hundred  of  them  had  been  convicted 
of  criminal  offences  at  least  once,  and  that  thirty-seven 
had  been  executed  for  committing  murder.  The  offspring 
of  this  one  woman  had,  up  to  that  date,  cost  the  nation 
about  three  million  dollars  for  trials  and  executions.  All 
this  crime  resulted  from  one  woman's  thoughts.  Her 
thoughts  being  evil,  she  attracted  to  the  bodies  of  her 
children  souls  that  were  in  harmony  with  her  thoughts, 
thus  they  were  born  with  evil  traits.  The  only  chance  they 
had  for  improvement,  after  being  removed  from  the 
mother's  influence,  was  through  the  thoughts  of  their 
associates.     The  inborn  tendencies  being  so  pronounced, 

134 


How    to    Control    Children 

they  naturally  attracted  to  themselves  natures  similar  to 
their  own,  thus  the  majority  of  their  associates  enter- 
tained thoughts  of  a  similar  character.  As  a  result,  the 
development  to  better  thinking  would  necessarily  be  slow, 
therefore,  the  sins  of  the  mother  continued  to  be  visited 
upon  the  children  "even  unto  the  third  and  fourth  genera- 
tion." Through  the  transmission  of  thought  the  law  of 
heredity  is  demonstrated ;  character  is  perpetuated,  and 
our  acts,  be  they  good  or  bad,  are  sent  down  to  be  inher- 
ited by  posterity.  I  can  safely  say  that  if  you  show  me  the 
child  I  can  tell  you  the  nature  of  its  parents. 

While  inborn  evil  cannot  be  entirely  exterminated  in 
one  generation,  yet  it  can  be  kept  in  check  and  its  devel- 
opment prevented  by  right  thinking  and  the  assistance  of 
pure  environment,  so  that  each  succeeding  generation  will 
be  less  influenced  by  it. 

It  is  the  duty  of  every  parent  to  instill  in  the  minds 
of  growing  children  the  thoughts  of  love,  kindness,  and 
generosity  toward  others;  to  teach  the  boys  to  think 
that  self-control,  courtesy,  and  kindness  are  a  greater 
indication  of  noble  manhood  than  proficiency  as  an  ath- 
lete or  high  standing  in  Greek  or  Latin;  to  teach  the 
girls  to  respect  their  home  and  parents,  and  that  kind 
words   gently    spoken    are   more   valuable  than  gold    or 

jewels. 

135 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

HOW  TO  WIN  FRIENDS  AND  AFFECTIONS. 

Every  person  may,  if  he  so  desires,  select  for  himself 
the  number  of  friends  he  will  have  and  the  character  of 
the  friendship  they  shall  give  to  him.  To  do  this,  he  must 
keep  in  mind  the  fact  that  "Like  attracts  like."  His  re- 
membrance of  this  will  be  of  much  assistance  to  him  in 
accomplishing  desirable  results  from  his  efforts.  The 
Law  of  Mentalism  proves  that  if  he  thinks  unjust 
thoughts  of  others,  these  thoughts  will  effect  those  people, 
and  their  estimation  of  him  will  unconsciously  be  lowered. 
In  this  way  the  evil  thinker  injures  himself  and  loses 
friends.  If,  however,  he  thinks  kind  and  generous 
thoughts  of  others,  they  will  be  influenced  by  those 
thoughts,  and  while  unaware  of  the  cause,  will  give  in 
return  their  approval  and  assistance. 

If  one  would  gain  the  friendship  or  affection  of  another, 
he  must  be  willing  to  make  an  effort.  That  which  is  not 
worth  working  for  is  not  worth  having.  There  is  much 
good  and  some  bad  in  every  person,  and  they  show  to 
us  that  part  of  their  nature  which  we  draw  out  and  un- 
cover.  ( If  we  place  a  man  on  his  honor,  he  will  be  true 
to  it.  If  we  give  him  the  thought  that  we  believe  him 
bad,  he  will,  as  a  rule,  not  disappoint  us.  How  can  we 
expect  him  to  live  above  the  standard  we  have  set  for 

136 


How    to    Win    Friends 

him  by  the  thoughts  we  implanted  in  his  brain  ?  J  It  re- 
mains with  us  to[encourage  the  good  in  others  and  thus    ] 
help  ourselves,  or  to  excite  the  bad  in  them  and  have  it  / 


I  react  upon  us  to  our  own  injury  and  possible  destructionj 
We  make  men  and  women  purer  and  nobler  by  appealing 
to  the  Divine  Spark  of  truth  within  their  souls.  No  one 
is  ever  made  good  through  fear  of  punishment,  or  from 
being  constantly  told  how  bad  he  is;  nor  by  force 
of  any  kind.  We  can  influence  and  encourage  people  to 
think  as  we  wish  them  to,  but  we  can  accomplish  nothing 
by  dictation  or  coercion. 

Those  who  would  win  friends  must  send  out  thoughts 
of  good  fellowship,  and  extend  to  these  people  honest 
generosity  and  kindness.  One  must  sincerely  think  and 
feel  these  sentiments  or  he  will  fail  in  his  purpose.  To 
use  this  method  for  purely  personal  gain  would  be  a  sel- 
fish act,  and  back  of  it  must  exist  a  selfish  thought.  This 
thought  would  also  travel  with  the  others  and  counteract 
their  effect;  and  even  should  the  desired  friendship  be 
won  at  the  time,  it  would  not  be  permanent,  for  the  person 
would  soon  feel  the  force  of  the  selfish  thoughts.  We 
all  know  how  quickly  we  can  detect  the  insincere  thoughts 
which  underlie  words  of  flattery  given  by  people  to  influ- 
ence us  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  their  own  ends. 

137 


The   Law   of   Mentalism 

It  is  always  more  pleasant  to  give  than  to  receive.  He 
who  will  give  out  the  truest  affection  of  which  he  is  capa- 
ble will  in  return  be  rewarded  by  the  gift  of  an  affection 
equally  as  strong,  "For  love  brings  love,  as  hate  brings 
hate."'  If  one  should  desire  to  win  the  affection  of  some 
particular  person.  I  would  advise  him  to  proceed  system- 
atically to  gain  that  desire.  He  must  first  ascertain  the 
subjects  upon  which  the  person  and  he  are  mutually  in- 
terested; the  things  they  can  think  and  talk  about  and 
agree  upon.  By  paying  special  attention  to  these  subjects 
his  mental  organization  will  soon  harmonize  with  that  of 
the  other.  This  will  assist  him  to  win  respect,  etc.,  and 
give  him  a  fair  foundation  to  work  upon. 

He  must  then  take  the  concentration  exercises  for  half 
an  hour  every  day,  and  while  concentrating,  send  out  the 
thoughts  and  feelings  he  wishes  the  other  person  to  ac- 
cept. In  time  the  Mentalism  he  is  using  will  have  its 
effect,  and  if  his  thoughts  are  backed  by  sincerity,  they 
will  be  accepted.  The  person  will  then  be  mentalized  and 
will  think  as  the  dictator  wishes,  just  as  long  as  he  does 
not  destroy  the  influence  of  these  thoughts,  by  thinking 
in  connection  with  this  person,  thoughts  of  a  different 
character.  The  affection  he  has  created  within  the  other 
person  will  continue  as  long  as  the  cause  exists,  but  no 

•      138 


How   to   Win    AfFedions 

longer.  If  he  is  insincere,  he  cannot  hold  the  afifection.  If 
one  desires  to  make  enemies  for  himself  and  destroy  his 
success  and  happiness,  he  can  do  so  by  the  use  of  Mental- 
ism.  He  has  but  to  send  out  to  others  the  thoughts  of  hate, 
revenge,  etc.,  an'd  they  will  return  to  him  and  destroy  him. 
We  all  have  the  liberty  of  choosing  which  we  will  make 
for  ourselves,  friends  or  enemies. 


139 


"Think  you  are  well,  and  that  all  is  well  with  you, 
And  Nature  will  read  your  thoughts  and  make  them  true." 

— Segno. 


Chapter    XIII. 


Disease:     Its    Cause   and  Cure 


Health  is  the  normal  and  natural  condition  of  the  physi- 
cal body.  All  the  forces  of  Nature  tend  toward  its  pro- 
duction and  maintenance.  Disease  is  an  unnatural  con- 
dition, and  results  from  one  of  two  causes :  It  is  either 
produced  by  the  mental  attitude  of  the  person,  or  by  the 
adverse  thoughts  he  attracts  to  himself.  In  the  case  of 
children,  disease  is  almost  entirely  due  to  the  unhealthful 
thoughts  of  the  parents  or  those  having  the  care  of  the 
child. 

Thought  being  the  creative  and  controlling  force  of  the 
universe,  it  is  capable  of  producing  disease  as  well  as 
health.     Disease  means  an  unnatural  decav  or  death  of 


143 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

the  tissues  of  which  the  body  is  composed.  Every  minute 
of  the  day  there  is  going  on  within  the  human  structure 
a  constant  and  natural  decay  of  its  tissues.  This  waste 
matter  is  eUminated  from  the  system  by  such  natural 
outlets  as  the  pores  of  the  skin,  the  breath,  etc.  Food  and 
air  are  taken  into  the  system  to  supply  the  elements  for 
replenishing  and  rebuilding  with  new  material  the  parts 
that  have  served  their  purpose  and  decayed. 

All  the  physical  organs  and  the  various  functions  of  the 
body  are  under  the  direct  government  and  supervision  of 
the  mind  (soul).  Under  ordinary  circumstances,  the  mind 
can  perform  all  its  duties,  and  see  to  it  that  the  structure 
in  which  it  lives  is  kept  in  harmony  with  all  its  needs  and 
desires.  When  the  mind  is  free  to  act,  perfect  health  will 
be  maintained;  but  when  the  Mentalism  from  others  in- 
fluence or  partially  control  it,  it  can  then  no  longer  per- 
form its  regular  duties,  and  as  a  result,  something  must 
sufifer.  This  is  especially  true  when  the  thoughts  that  are 
influencing  the  person  are  of  an  unpleasant  character,  and 
therefore  cause  worry,  dissatisfaction  and  unrest.  The 
neglect  occasioned  by  this  distracting  influence  permits 
the  decayed  or  dead  matter  to  accumulate  in  the  system, 
and  the  elements  necessary  to  replenish  the  wasted  tissues 
are  not  supplied  with  regularity.    This  accumulated  waste 

144 


Disease:    Its  Cause  and  Cure 

matter  clogs  and  prevents  the  natural  workings  of  the  sys- 
tem, and  poisons  the  otherwise  healthy  tissues.  The 
physical  machinery  no  longer  performs  its  natural  func- 
tions; the  various  organs  of  the  body  become  weakened 
and  begin  to  die.  This  condition  is  called  disease.  In  such 
cases,  during  the  few  moments  that  the  mind  is  able  to 
escape  from  the  influence  of  the  adverse  thoughts  by 
which  it  is  controlled,  it  usually  has  only  time  to  recognize 
the  unhealthy  condition  into  which  the  body  has  degener- 
ated. If  it  has  the  desire  and  is  assisted  to  free  itself  from 
the  unhealthful  influence  that  is  controlling  it,  it  will  re- 
store the  waste  and  rebuild  the  structure,  but  if  the  influ- 
ence is  permitted  to  continue  for  any  great  length  of  time, 
the  mind  will  become  discouraged  and  possibly  allow  the 
body  to  go  on  to  destruction.  It  will  do  this  in  the  hope 
of  throwing  off  the  body  that  it  may  thereby  be  free  to  go 
back  to  the  Source  from  which  it  came.  When  the  mind 
from  any  cause,  loses  control  over  any  part  of  the  body 
that  part  at  once  becomes  diseased  and  is  destroyed.  The 
destruction  of  any  one  of  the  vital  parts  of  the  machinery 
prevents  the  working  of  the  others ;  the  machinery 
then  stops  and  the  soul  (mind)  departs.  That  is  called 
death.  This  shows  how  worry  and  trouble  cause  disease 
and  death. 


145 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

A  contented  mind  is  essential  to  the  production  and  en- 
joyment of  perfect  health ;  it  is  a  jewel  of  greater  value 
than  diamonds  or  rubies.  Every  physician  knows  that 
he  cannot  cure  the  ailments  of  the  body  as  long  as  the 
mind  is  distressed.  Two  of  the  questions  they  always  ask 
of  a  patient,  where  any  affection  of  the  nerves  is  shown, 
are,  "  Have  you  had  any  cause  for  great  worry  or  anxi- 
ety ?  "  "Are  you  now  under  any  mental  strain?"  When 
a  medical  practitioner  fails  to  cure  his  patient,  he  suggests 
a  change  of  scene,  an  ocean  voyage,  a  sojourn  in  Califor- 
nia, etc.  Why  does  he  do  this?  Because  he  knows  that 
a  change  of  environment  will  necessarily  bring  new 
thoughts  and  new  interests  to  occupy  the  mind,  and 
thereby  shut  out  the  thoughts  that  are  influencing  the 
patient  to  the  extent  of  controlling  his  mind  and  destroy- 
ing his  body. 

He  who  worries  attracts  to  him  the  thoughts  of  others 
who  worry,  and  thus  the  cause  of  disease  is  intensified  and 
multiplied.  To  have  perfect  health,  one  must  have  a 
contented  mind,  for  we  attract  to  us  from  others  the  ex- 
act feelings  we  encourage  within  ourselves.  None  of  us 
are  in  the  true  sense,  individuals.  We  are  but  a  part  of 
each  other,  and  a  part  of  the  whole  scheme  of  creation. 
In  Romans  XIV.,  7,  we  read,  "For  none  of  us  liveth  to 

146 


Disease:    Its  Cause  and  Cure 

himself  and  no  man  dieth  to  himself."  Our  health  and 
our  success  both  lie  in  the  thoughts  and  feeling  we  have 
for  our  neighbors,  for  the  thoughts  we  think  of  them  will 
attract  similar  thoughts  to  us,  but  in  a  greater  quantity. 

The  Law  of  Mentalism  and  the  whole  trend  and  swing 
of  the  universe  offers  a  reward  to  man  to  be  honest,  just, 
gentle,  and  generous,  for  we  are  so  bound  together  that 
nobility  in  one  kindles  nobility  in  all,  and  one  man's  hurt 
is  an  injury  to  all. 

To^^shut  out  all  discouraging,  worrying,  devitalizing 
thought  and  to  cease  speaking  of  our  ailments,  real  or 
imaginary,  is  not  possible  until  we  take  up  a  new  line  ol 
thought.  If  we  fill  the  brain  with  healthful  thoughts, 
there  will  be  no  room  for  others.  Therefore,  we  must 
believe  in  health,  not  for  others  only,  but  for  ourselves 
as  well.  If  wejlive  in  this  belief,  and  think  health  and  talk  \ 
I  JieaithJit  will  be  ours.  J 

Parents  should  use  great  care  in  the  thoughts  they  think 
with  reference  to  the  health  of  their  children.  Because 
children  have  in  the  past  suffered  from  certain  varieties  of 
disease,  it  has  become  a  common  belief  with  nearly  every 
mother,  father  and  guardian,  that  all  children  must  un- 
dergo at  sometime,  one  or  more  of  these  periods  of  ill- 
health.    By  keeping  this  universal  and  erroneous  thought 


147 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

in  their  minds,  they  are  ready  the  moment  they  hear  of 
some  other  child  suffering,  to  think  that  their  child  is  in 
danger.  These  thoughts  of  disease  are  conveyed  from  the 
brain  of  the  person  to  that  of  the  child.  The  thoughts  of 
fear  are  ever  present  in  their  minds,  and  should  the  child, 
as  a  result  of  the  thoughts  they  are  thinking,  show  the 
slightest  symptom  of  an  indisposition,  they  at  once  con- 
clude that  it  has  taken  the  disease  and  is  going  to  be  sick. 
Such  thoughts  not  only  affect  the  health  of  the  child,  but 
they  also  attract  the  thoughts  of  other  parents  who  are 
fearful  of  that  particular  class  of  disease.  This  avalanche 
of  thought  rushes  in  upon  the  frail  child,  its  mind  is  con- 
trolled and  the  disease  created,  for  the  child's  Will  and 
mind  are  not  strong  enough  to  throw  off  the  effect  pro- 
duced by  the  thoughts  of  so  many  others.  People  should 
not  be  permitted  to  talk  of  disease  and  ill-health  in  the 
presence  of  children.  In  fact,  they  should  not  be  allowed 
to  talk  of  such  things  at  all,  as  every  word  and  thought 
injures  someone. 


148 


Chapter    XIV. 


Disease:    Its  Cause  and  Cure  —  continued 


Emerson,  the  philosopher  says  that  "  a  sick  man  is  a 
villain,"  and  Thomas  Henry  Huxley,  the  scientist,  has 
foretold  the  present  "  New  thought  "  that  would  lead  to  a 
stage  of  enlightenment,  when  a  man  who  becomes  ill  will 
be  regarded  as  a  fool  or  a  criminal.  The  time  is  not  far 
distant  when  people  will  be  ashamed  to  parade  before  the 
public  their  real  or  fancied  ills,  for  those  ills  will  con- 
demn them. 

Those  who  suffer  from  disease  of  any  character, 
whether  mental  or  physical,  real  or  imaginary,  can  quickly 
cure  themselves  by  conscientiously  adhering  to  the  follow- 
ing instructions : 

149 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

The  first  thing  to  be  clone  is  to  cease  worrying,  for 
worry  of  itself  produces  that  which  one  fears.  To  con- 
tinue to  worry  is  equivalent  to  self-destruction.  The  more 
people  worry,  the  more  they  lessen  their  chances  of  re- 
covery, for  they  are  continually  attracting  the  thoughts  of 
others  who  worry.  The  force  of  this  Mentalism  constantly 
increases,  until  the  mind  is  so  burdened  that  it  cannot  even 
keep  up  the  daily  repair  of  the  system  that  is  necessary,  to 
say  nothing  of  its  inability  to  gain  headway  on  the  greater 
destruction  which  is  the  cause  of  the  illness. 

After  the  person  has  decided  firmly  and  positively  that 
he  will  throw  off  the  influence  which  has  been  causing  him 
to  worry,  he  must  next  direct  his  thoughts  toward  re- 
covery, and  think  healthful,  hopeful,  generous  thoughts, 
letting  them  fill  every  moment  of  his  time.  It  is  impossible 
to  pluck  out  the  unhealthful  thoughts  and  leave  a  vacuum, 
for  Nature  will  not  permit  this ;  but  he  can  fill  his  brain 
and  occupy  his  mind  with  good,  healthful  thoughts,  and 
then  there  will  be  no  place  left  for  the  unwelcome 
thoughts,  and  therefore,  they  can  no  longer  trouble  him. 
As  every  man  is  owned  by  the  thoughts  he  attracts  and 
cultivates,  he  should  then  cultivate  those  of  health  and 
contentment.  In  addition  to  this,  he  should  during  each 
hour  of  the  day,  mentally  command  the  blood  in  his  sys- 

150 


Disease:    Its  Cause  and  Cure 

tern  to  circulate  more  freely  and  carry  away  the  waste 
tissues  that  are  poisoning  the  healthy  cells,  and  also  order 
all  the  organs  of  the  body  to  perform  their  natural  func- 
tions and  supply  new  material  for  the  construction  of 
healthy  tissue.  If  he  has  perfect  confidence  in  his  author- 
ity to  command,  his  orders  will  be  obeyed. 

Every  faculty  of  the  body  is  a  servant  of  the  mind.  It 
is  therefore  our  duty  to  teach  each  faculty  to  instantly 
obey  our  wishes.  Would  we  stand  by  and  see  a  servant 
destroy  our  house  and  furniture  without  asserting  our 
authority  to  check  the  destruction?  It  is  not  at  all  prob- 
able. Then  why  should  we  permit  the  servants  of  our 
physical  body  to  destroy  the  structure  in  which  we  live? 
If  a  man  is  careless  and  does  not  respect  his  own  house,  he 
should  not  expect  his  servants  to  take  an  interest  in 
it,  for  servants  only  work  under  the  order  of  their 
superiors. 

To  assist  Nature  in  throwing  off  disease,  one  must 
judiciously  use  food  and  take  a  sufficient  amount  of  sleep 
at  night.  He  should  take  some  exercise  every  day,  but 
he  must  not  exhaust  his  strength  and  reserve  force  so  that 
it  is  impossible  for  the  servants  to  replenish  it  in  the  few 
hours  he  is  sleeping.  If  he  keeps  his  mind  constantly 
occupied    with    interesting,    hopeful    thoughts,    it    will 

151 


The   Law  of  Mentalism 

quickly  get  out  of  harmony  with  the  thoughts  of  those 
who  worry  and  have  diseased  bodies.  When  he  has  suc- 
ceeded in  overcoming  this  influence,  he  will  then  attract 
and  come  into  harmony  with  people  possessing  hopeful, 
cheerful  minds.  Their  mentalistic  influence  will  help 
create  happiness  and  contentment,  and  as  if  by  a  miracle, 
the  person  will  regain  health  and  strength. 

Sometimes  the  mind  loses  interest  in  the  body  it  in- 
habits on  account  of  uncongenial  environments,  the  lo- 
cality, or  its  mental  associates.  It  realizes  that  under  the 
existing  conditions,  it  can  have  no  opportunity  to  follow 
the  career  for  which  it  is  adapted,  or  to  fill  a  position 
that  will  be  in  harmony  with  its  talents,  and  seeing  that 
its  hopes,  desires  and  efforts  are  being  wasted  upon  un- 
fruitful soil,  it  becomes  discouraged.  If  it  is  not  in  har- 
mony with  the  thoughts  of  those  in  the  locality  in  which 
it  is  living,  it  will  earnestly  desire  to  free  itself  that  it  may 
go  to  more  congenial  fields.  In  its  efforts  to  accomplish 
this  purpose,  it  will  neglect  the  body  and  allow  it  to  be- 
come diseased  much  as  a  man  allows  his  house  to  go  to 
ruin  because  he  dislikes  the  locality  and  his  neighbors. 
So  long  as  such  thoughts  exist  in  the  mind,  health  and 
strength  cannot  be  restored.  A  change  of  locality  to  one 
where  the  environments  and  mental  associates  will  be 


152 


Disease:    Its  Cause  and  Cure 

more  congenial  is  advisable.     By  making  the  change,  the 
life  of  the  body  can  be  prolonged  many  years. 

It  is  a  fact  noticed  by  observing  people  that  while  one 
person  will  always  have  poor  health  in  a  certain  locality, 
another  person  of  different  tastes  and  character  will  enjoy 
his  best  health  in  that  particular  place.  When  we  inquire 
into  the  cause  of  it,  we  learn  that  the  one  who  had  poor 
health  was  discontented  and  out  of  harmony  with  the  sur- 
roundings, while  the  other  was  contented  and  happy  be- 
cause it  appealed  to  his  nature.  That  which  was  congenial 
to  one  was  disagreeable  to  the  other.  All  conditions  that 
tend  to  produce  contentment  of  mind  are  cures  for  disease. 
All  things  that  cause  trouble  and  unhappiness  create  dis- 
ease. When  one's  duty  to  others  seems  to  make  it 
necessary  for  him  to  remain  in  a  locality  that  is  uncongen- 
ial, or  in  the  society  of  people  who  are  unpleasant,  he  can 
overcome  these  unfavorable  conditions  and  gain  happi- 
ness if  he  will  be  guided  by  the  following  advice.  Let  him 
turn  his  thoughts  during  his  spare  moments  toward  con- 
genial subjects  and  seek  at  a  distance,  by  means  of  Men- 
talism,  for  the  association  of  thoughts  that  will  harmonize 
with  his.  He  should  practice  the  concentration  exercises 
and  in  that  way  mentally  attract  to  himself  the  thoughts 
and  sympathy  of  those  to  whom  he  cannot  go  in  the  flesh. 

153 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

By  conscientiously  persevering,  he  will  in  a  short  time  ex- 
perience great  happiness  and  contentment  from  his  mental 
correspondence  with  others.  It  will  fill  up  the  vacant 
spots  and  satisfy  the  longings,  and  the  uncongenial 
thoughts  will  then  find  no  place  to  lodge.  He  will  in  the 
future  not  live  so  much  for  the  material  world,  but  will 
get  his  greatest  pleasures  from  the  mental  world. 

In  the  course  of  time  the  beauty  and  influence  of  his 
new  thoughts  will  have  their  effect  upon  his  surroundings 
and  associates,  and  he  will  behold  them  gradually  trans- 
forming until  they  rise  up  to  his  standard.  He  will  then 
have  created  a  new  world  around  him,  and  by  the  use  of 
Mentalism  his  old  environments  and  associates  will  have 
been  transformed  into  new  ones.  He  will,  by  this  method, 
have  created  his  own  destiny,  and  will  enjoy  contentment, 
happiness  and  good  physical  and  mental  health. 

When  one  first  commences  the  work  of  ordering  the 
body  to  throw  off  disease  and  to  reconstruct  new  and 
healthy  tissues,  he  may  find  that  as  a  result  of  non-use,  his 
Will  is  not  strong,  and  that  the  mental  energy  is  not  very 
forceful ;  that  its  action  is  spasmodic  and  lacking  in  con- 
tinuity of  purpose.  When  such  is  the  case,  he  will  find 
that  a  little  assistance  from  a  person  with  a  strong  Will 
and  a  perfectly  controlled  mind,  whose  thoughts  are  in 


Disease:    Its  Cause  and  Cure 

harmony  with  his,  will  stimulate  and  encourage  his  men- 
tal efforts  and  aid  him  greatly.  It  is  not  advisable  for 
him  to  depend  entirely  upon  others,  for  then  he  would  not 
develop  and  strengthen  his  Will,  and  when  again  left  to 
depend  upon  himself  would  be  as  weak  as  before.  The 
person  he  selects  to  assist  him  must  be  one  who  thoroughly 
understands  the  Law  of  Mentalism;  one  who  can  under- 
stand the  circumstances  and  feel  the  interest  and  sym- 
pathy his  case  needs.  The  thoughts  and  habits  of  the 
assistant  must  be  good  and  honorable  or  his  influence 
might  injure  instead  of  being  a  help.  Wisdom  must  be 
used  in  making  the  selection. 


155 


Chapter    XV. 


Disease:    Its  Cause  and  Cu?^e  —  continued 


Treatment  should  be  taken  once  or  twice  a  day  in  a 
room  where  the  person  will  not  be  disturbed.  In  case  an 
assistant  is  to  help  in  the  treatments,  he  may  be  in  the 
same  room  but  should  sit  some  distance  back  so  as  not  to 
distract  the  patient's  attention.  It  will  be  unnecessary  for 
him  to  touch  the  patient  except  in  the  case  of  severe  pain. 
After  the  patient  has  made  himself  comfortable  by  re- 
clining in  an  easy  chair,  he  must  concentrate  for  a  few 
minutes,  so  as  to  get  his  thoughts  well  centered  upon  the 
treatment.  He  must  then  commence  giving  the  mental 
commands  to  the  body  as  explained  in  the  previous 
chapter.    If  he  has  an  assistant,  the  patient  must  not  for- 

157 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

get  to  keep  the  thought  in  mind  that  his  selected  assistant 
physician  is  helping  him  by  giving  him  additional  courage, 
strength  and  increased  strength  of  Will;  that  with  these 
he  may  overcome  the  existing,  unhealthy  conditions.  The 
assistant  must  also  concentrate  and  center  his  thoughts 
upon  the  patient  to  the  exclusion  of  all  external  environ- 
ments and  conditions.  He  must  also  make  the  same 
commands  as  the  patient,  and  mentally  send  to  him  the 
thoughts  of  hope,  courage,  confidence,  energy  and  in- 
creased strength  of  Will.  The  patient's  mental  activity 
will  be  stimulated  and  strengthened  by  these  Mental  Vi- 
brations, and  he  will  experience  a  feeling  of  exhilaration 
and  buoyancy  as  the  evidence  of  new  life  and  new  health. 
If  this  treatment  is  repeated  daily,  the  mind  will  respond 
and  quickly  gain  control  over  the  physical  organs  and 
assist  them  to  perform  their  natural  functions,  and  thus 
eradicate  disease. 

Mentalism  is  the  power  used  by  the  Mentalist  in 
curing  disease  in  others.  He,  through  the  mind  of  the 
patient,  controls  and  operates  the  physical  organs.  Dur- 
ing the  time  occupied  in  treatment,  he  becomes  an  active 
part  of  the  patient,  for  he  assists  him  to  do  his  thinking; 
he  places  the  thoughts  in  his  brain,  and  the  functions  of 
the  body  respond  to  the  dictates  of  the  thoughts  which  are 

entertained  by  the  brain. 

158 


Disease:    Its  Cause  and  Cure 

Should  the  patient  fail  to  obtain  complete  satisfaction 
from  his  first  or  second  trial  at  self  treatment,  he  need 
not  become  discouraged,  but  should  carefully  re-read  the 
instructions  and  try  again.  A  little  practice  will  soon 
make  him  master  of  the  situation.  The  fault  may  not 
be  his,  but  that  of  the  other  person,  that  is  if  he  has  had 
someone  assisting  him.  It  would  be  better  for  him  to 
depend  upon  himself  than  upon  the  assistance  of  a  person 
in  whom  he  has  not  perfect  confidence. 

No  person  should  permit  another  to  tell  him  he  is  not 
looking  well.  He  should  absolutely  refuse  to  listen  to 
such  remarks,  and  should  request  the  person  never  to 
speak  to  him  on  that  subject  again,  and  to  cease  trying  to 
plant  in  his  brain  the  cause  of  disease.  One  should  not 
permit  such  idle  statements  to  influence  him.  Instead,  he 
should  remember  that  these  remarks  are  the  result  of 
habit  with  most  people,  and  that  they  make  them  for  the 
purpose  of  leading  him  to  believe  they  sympathize  with 
him.  He  does  not  need  that  kind  of  sympathy,  for  it  will 
injure  him.  There  should  be  a  law  making  it  a  criminal 
offense  to  place  such  unhealthful  thoughts  in  the  brains 
of  other  people.  Half  of  the  great  number  of  people  who 
die  before  they  are  seventy  are  simply  murdered  by  these 
unhealthful  thoughts  of  others. 

159 


The   Law   of   Mentalism 

It  has  been  demonstrated  scientifically  and  conclusively 
that  a  perfectly  well  man  can  be  made  sick,  even  unto 
death,  by  being  repeatedly  told  that  he  is  sick.  I  will 
relate  an  experiment  of  this  kind  that  has  been  fully 
authenticated.  All  the  arrangements  for  the  experiment 
were  made  without  the  victim  having  any  knowledge  of 
them.  Mr.  J.,  the  person  on  whom  the  experiment  was 
made,  was  a  business  man.  On  a  particular  morning,  he 
left  his  home  for  the  office  feeling  that  he  was  in  excel- 
lent health.  A  few  blocks  from  his  house,  he  met  an  old 
friend  who  commented  on  how  ill  he  was  looking,  and 
asked  him  if  he  were  not  sick.  Mr.  J.  only  laughed  at  the 
suggestion.  The  idea  of  him  being  sick  amused  him.  Be- 
fore he  had  gone  more  than  a  block  farther,  he  met  an- 
other friend  who  seemed  surprised  at  his  appearance  and 
seriously  asked  after  his  health,  stating  that  he  had  the 
appearance  of  one  who  was  going  to  be  quite  sick.  These 
and  similar  statements  were  repeated  to  him  by  a  number 
of  other  people  before  he  reached  his  office.  .  Each  suc- 
ceeding one,  however,  expressed  more  anxiety  than  the 
previous  one.  By  the  time  Mr.  J.  reached  his  office,  he 
was  not  feeling  quite  so  well  as  when  he  left  his  house,  for 
the  thought  had  already  taken  root.  During  the  morning 
a  number  of  people  dropped  into  his  office  and  commented 

1 60 


Disease:    Its  Cause  and  Cure 

upon  his  apparent  condition.  By  noon  he  was  a  sick  man, 
and  before  night  he  was  home  and  in  bed.  During  the 
evening  some  of  the  same  people  called  to  see  him  under 
the  pretext  of  having  heard  of  his  serious  illness.  They 
commented  upon  the  seriousness  of  his  condition,  its  dan- 
ger, and  their  fears  for  his  recovery.  Within  twenty-four 
hours  this  man  who  had  been  enjoying  perfect  health,  was 
brought  to  death's  door  by  the  mental  and  verbal  dictates 
of  his  friends.  The  purpose  of  the  experiment  was  then 
revealed  to  him,  but  even  with  the  assistance  of  the  health- 
ful thoughts  of  all  those  concerned,  it  took  several  days  to 
eradicate  the  disease  they  had  created  and  to  replace  per- 
fect health. 

I  relate  this  case  simply  as  an  illustration  of  the  effect 
the  thoughts  of  our  friends  have  upon  our  health.  How 
innocently  and  unconsciously  people  help  to  spread  disease 
and  ill  health  by  wrong  thinking  and  by  giving  expression 
to  those  unhealthful  thoughts.  If  people  would  only  stop 
and  consider  the  responsibility  of  entertaining  such 
thoughts,  I  believe  they  w'ould  cease  to  be  a  party  to 
murder.  Any  physical  body  that  dies  before  it  has  reached 
an  extreme  old  age  (except  in  cases  of  accident)  has  either 
been  killed  by  the  unhealthful  thoughts  of  others  or  by 
the  mind  (soul)  which  inhabited  it. 

i6i 


The   Law  of  Mentalism 

The  treatment  to  be  used  in  case  of  accidents,  such 
as  a  sprain,  dislocation  of  a  joint,  a  broken  bone,  a  cut, 
burn,  etc.,  is  slightly  different  from  that  used  for  disease. 
Immediate  attention  is  necessary,  and  local  applications 
essential,  but  the  pain  can  be  lessened,  if  not  entirely  re- 
moved, and  the  recovery  hastened  by  the  use  of  Mental- 
ism. To  the  mind  of  the  patient  must  be  given  the 
thoughts  "that  the  conditions  are  not  serious ;  that  he  will 
not  feel  the  pain,  because  there  will  be  no  pain;  that  the 
afifected  part  will  quickly  recover  its  normal  action,  and 
that  the  congestion  and  inflammation  will  be  quickly  re- 
moved." He  must  either  by  his  own  mental  efforts  or 
through  that  of  others,  stimulate  the  circulation  of  the 
blood  through  the  affected  parts  and  command  the  sys- 
tem to  supply  new  material  to  take  the  place  of  that 
which  has  been  destroyed,  and  also  to  eliminate  all  the 
dead  tissue.  Encouraging  thoughts  and  remarks  from 
his  associates  will  hasten  the  complete  recovery.  Dis- 
couraging and  doubtful  thoughts  and  comments  will 
retard  recovery. 

Never  permit  anyone  to  remain  in  the  room  with  a 
patient  if  that  person's  thoughts  are  not  favorable  to  his 
recovery.  If  the  patient  has  a  strong  Will  and  self-con- 
fidence, he  will  not  be  as  much  affected  by  adverse  com- 

162 


Disease:    Its  Cause  and  Cure 

ments  and  thoughts  as  a  person  having  a  weak  Will.  If 
the  patient  possesses  a  strong  Will,  he  will  hasten  his  own 
recovery.  In  fact,  anyone  with  a  strong  Will,  will  live 
through  accidents  or  disease  that  would  kill  a  person 
having  a  weak  Will. 

In  treating  cases  of  pain,  such  as  cramps,  neuralgia, 
rheumatism,  headache,  toothache,  earache,  etc.,  Mentalism 
will  prove  very  effective.  All  these  pains  result  from  a 
congestion  that  has  caused  inflammation  of  the  tissues 
and  nerves.  The  circulation  of  the  blood  must  be  stimu- 
lated in  and  through  the  congested  parts  that  the  obstruc- 
tion may  be  more  quickly  removed.  The  mind  of  the 
patient  must  be  directed  to  the  affected  part  that  it  may 
gain  control  over  it.  To  do  this  the  more  effectually, 
place  your  hand  over  the  seat  of  pain,  think  and  instruct 
the  patient  to  do  likewise,  that  the  circulation  will  in- 
crease and  dissolve  the  congestion  and  destroy  the  pain. 
Keep  your  mind  centered  upon  the  affected  part,  but  in  a 
few  moments  divert  the  thoughts  of  the  patient  into  an- 
other channel,  and  in  a  short  time  say  to  him,  "The  pain 
is  all  gone  and  you  will  soon  be  quite  well."  Say  it  with 
confidence,  so  as  to  implant  the  thought  firmly  in  his  mind. 
When  you  have  done  this  he  will  agree  with  you  that 
there  is  no  pain  and  at  once  he  will  be  well. 

163 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

The  object  in  diverting  his  thoughts  from  the  affected 
part  is  to  give  you  a  better  opportunity  to  place  the 
thought  of  "No  pain"  so  strongly  in  his  mind  that  his 
previous  thought  of  "Pain"  will  have  no  further  effect 
upon  him.  The  strongest  thought  is  always  the  thought 
that  controls. 

In  treating  cases  of  nervousness,  hysteria,  etc.,  much 
the  same  process  is  necessary.  You  must  have  the  patient 
relax  all  his  muscles  and  close  his  eyes.  The  best  results 
are  obtained  by  having  the  patient  lie  flat  on  his  back. 
Place  your  hands  upon  his  forehead  and  stroke  it  gently. 
Speak  in  a  modulated  tone,  making  all  your  movements 
slowly  and  gently;  think,  and  at  the  same  time  instruct 
the  patient  that  he  is  "feeling  more  restful  and  quiet."  If 
you  can  get  him  to  sleep  the  treatment  will  be  more  effect- 
ive. Implant  in  his  brain  the  thoughts  of  "relaxation, 
rest  and  qui  ti."  Do  not  permit  him  to  see  or  talk  to  many 
people,  for  their  thoughts  will  interfere  with  those  you 
have  given  him  and  keep  him  in  a  state  of  excitement. 

There  is  no  sphere  in  life  in  which  one  can  do  so  much 
good  as  by  healing  the  sick  and  relieving  the  sufferings  of 
his  fellowmen.  But  I  would  not  advise  any  one  to  fol- 
low healing  as  a  profession  unless  he  feels  within  himself 
a  desire  to  cure  others.    If  the  work  has  an  attraction  for 

164 


Disease:    Its  Cause  and  Cure 

him,  and  his  promptings  and  mental  messages  have  told 
him  that  he  is  adapted  for  the  work,  then  he  should  not 
neglect  the  advice,  but  begin  the  work  at  once.  The  ex- 
ercise of  Mentalism  for  the  cure  of  disease  will  widen 
his  sphere  of  usefulness.  One  should  not  attempt  to  treat 
patients  at  a  distance  until  he  has  had  sufficient  experience 
in  giving  local  treatments  to  give  him  perfect  confidence 
in  his  ability.  Before  he  can  successfully  treat  anyone  at 
a  distance,  he  must  know  exactly  from  what  the  person  is 
suffering,  and  then  his  mental  organization  must  also  be 
in  harmony  with  that  of  the  patient. 


165 


'Thought  is  power."— Victor  Hugo. 


Chapter    XVI. 


What   is   Hypnotism? 


Hypnotism  is  the  name  applied  to  a  phenomena  which 
demonstrates  the  power  of  mind  over  matter  and  the  in- 
fluence of  one  mind  over  another.  The  source  of  this 
power  has  always  been  a  question  for  serious  thought  and 
much  speculation.  The  phenomena  is  both  mysterious  and 
uncanny,  hence  people  fear  it,  and  yet  desire  to  investigate 
it.  The  things  that  appear  mysterious  to  us  are  those  we 
do  not  understand ;  the  cause  of  which  we  cannot  compre- 
hend. Had  the  law  or  cause  of  the  phenomena  been  dis- 
covered, hypnotism  would  have  been  saved  much  censure, 
and  instead  would  have  gained  the  confidence  and  admir- 
ation of  the  public. 

169 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

At  one  time,  many  people  supposed  that  the  controll- 
ing power  was  emitted  from  the  finger  tips,  and  in  order 
to  produce  a  hypnotic  effect,  it  was  necessary  to  make 
"passes"  over  the  body  of  the  subject.  Later,  it  was 
discovered  that  mechanical  means  could  be  employed  to 
produce  the  desired  effect  when  the  "passes"  had  failed. 
This  discovery  destroyed  the  theory  and  belief  that  the 
power  came  from  or  through  the  finger  tips.  Still  later 
it  was  learned  that  the  same  or  greater  results  could  be 
obtained  by  simply  giving  the  subject  suggestions  by  word 
or  action;  the  suggestion  being  but  an  expression  of  the 
thought  in  the  mind  of  the  operator.  It  is  a  fact  that  the 
power  did  not  exist  in  any  of  the  methods  used,  but  ex- 
isted in  the  (Thought  Force  back  of  every  action  or 
suggestion.\ 

It  is  strange  that  the  real  cause  of  the  phenomena  was 
not  discovered  sooner.  The  fraternity  labored  under 
many  delusions  in  regard  to  the  science  they  were  trying 
to  demonstrate.  The  phenomena  was  there  to  speak  for 
itself,  but  the  operators  could  give  no  positive  proof  of  its 
cause,  hence  the  mystery  with  which  it  has  always  been 
surrounded.  When  viewed  from  a  logical  standpoint, 
there  is  nothing  mysterious  about  it.  Hypnotism  has 
simply  demonstrated  the  power  of/mind  over  matter.^This 

170 


What   is    Hypnotism? 

power  which  causes  the  physical  and  mental  forces  of  the 
subject  to  act  in  response  to  the  command  of  the  oper- 
ator is  Mentalism.  (^Thought  precedes  all  action.  J  The 
thought  given  by  the  operator  is  conveyed  to  the  brain 
of  the  subject  where  it  assumes  control,  and  his  Will,  for 
the  time  being,  is  placed  under  subjection.  The  physical 
forces  respond  to  the  thought  that  is  placed  in  the  brain 
by  the  operator,  the  phenomena  is  produced,  and  those 
who  behold  it  are  mystified.  It  is  not  necessary  that  the 
person  be  put  to  sleep  in  order  to  influence  him  to  act  or 
think  as  we  desire.  Hypnotism  is  but  a  crude  means  of 
accomplishing  a  result.  The  same  effect  can  be  produced 
by  a  more  subtle  method,  and  the  person  need  not  be 
made  aware  of  the  operator's  desire.  Mentalism  is  the 
law  that  governs  the  phenomena  of  hypnotism.  Through 
it  one  can  produce  the  same  results  at  a  distance,  and  with 
just  as  much  ease  as  they  can  produce  through  hypnotism 
when  both  parties  are  in  the  same  room.  The  secret  of 
the  success  obtained  in  either  case  lies  in  placing  one's 
thoughts  in  the  brain  of  the  subject.  Thus  hypnotism  but 
uses  Mentalism  to  produce  the  phenomena.  Hypnotism 
does  not  and  could  not  exist  independently  of  Mentalism. 
By  carefully  following  these  directions,  one  can  quickly 
and  easily  mentalize  a  person  at  any  time  he  desires.     It 

171 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

is  best  to  first  meet  the  person,  and  if  possible,  enter  into 
conversation  with  him,  and  in  a  general  way  touch  upon 
the  subject  you  have  in  mind,  and  at  the  same  time  use 
Mentalism  to  give  out  the  thoughts  you  wish  him  to 
absorb.  This  contact  and  conversation  will  tune  your 
mental  organization  with  his,  and  give  you  the  entree  to 
his  mind.  After  leaving  his  presence,  keep  in  mind  the 
thoughts  you  desire  to  impart  to  him.  Send  the  thought 
that  he  will  be  possessed  by  an  irresistible  desire  to  do  the 
particular  thing  you  wish  him  to  do.  If  he  is  one  whom 
you  have  never  mentalized  before,  it  may  be  necessary  for 
you  to  repeat  the  mental  messages  at  several  different 
times,  until  they  become  implanted  in  his  brain  so  strongly 
that  he  cannot  resist  doing  as  you  bid  him.  After  you 
have  successfully  mentalized  him  once,  it  will  be  much 
easier  to  do  so  next  time.  In  fact,  after  a  few  successful 
attempts,  you  will  meet  with  little  or  no  resistance.  The 
person  mentalized  will  execute  your  desires,  providing 
they  are  not  against  his  moral  principles.  In  carrying  out 
your  dictates,  he  will  not  have  the  slightest  suspicion  that 
he  is  doing  so  through  any  other  agency  than  his  own 
wishes. 

I  wish  to  state  emphatically  that  no  one  can  influence 
another  to  do  evil  unless  that  person's  tendencies  were 

172 


what   is    Hypnotism? 


previously  evil,  or  he  possesses  a  very  weak  Will.  If  the 
person's  nature  is  pure,  impure  thoughts  will  be  resented 
by  him.  An  impure  Mentalism  cannot  be  tuned  in  har- 
mony with  a  pure  Mentalism.  It  would,  therefore,  be  use- 
less for  anyone  to  attempt  to  influence  an  honest  person  to 
do  a  dishonest  act,  for  such  thoughts,  when  they  reached 
the  person,  would  act  as  a  discord,  and  automatically 
throw  his  mental  organization  out  of  tune  with  the  one 
sending  the  message. 

The  same  results  that  would  be  gained  from  a  con- 
versation can  also  be  obtained  from  a  talk  over  the  tele- 
phone, or  through  correspondence  with  the  person.  The 
act  of  writing  a  letter  to  another,  places  one  in  a  receptive 
condition,  and  helps  to  tune  his  mental  organs  in  harmony 
with  that  of  the  person  to  whom  he  is  writing.  As  soon 
as  an  answer  to  a  letter  is  received,  he  may  begin  sending 
messages. 

Have  you  not  often  been  thinking  of  a  friend,  and  in 
a  day  or  so  received  a  letter  from  him,  and  upon  looking 
at  the  date,  found  that  it  was  written  on  the  day  you  were 
thinking  of  him?  In  such  cases,  the  mental  organs  of 
both  persons  were  in  harmony,  and  the  one  received  a 
mental  message  from  the  person  who  was  writing  the 
letter.     If  attention  is  given  to  these  messages  by  the 

173 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

person  who  receives  them,  and  the  suggestions  are  acted 
upon,  he  is  for  the  time  mentalized  by  the  other,  and 
therefore,  not  entirely  responsible  for  his  actions.  When 
one  feels  an  impulse  or  a  desire  to  do  something  out  of 
the  ordinary,  he  may  be  sure  that  he  is  being  influenced 
by  others,  through  Mentalism.  If  by  carrying  out  these 
thoughts  he  would  in  any  way  harm  others,  he  must  set 
his  Will  against  them  and  throw  off  the  influence.  It  is 
not  well  to  permit  oneself  to  be  mentalized  indiscrimi- 
nately, for  every  time  one  submits  to  it,  his  Will  is  weak- 
ened, and  if  it  were  continued,  he  would  eventually  be- 
come a  slave  to  others,  and  be  unable  to  use  his  own 
power  to  gain  information  from  others.  If  he  keeps  his 
Will  strong,  he  need  have  no  fear  of  being  Mentalized. 
All  should  bear  in  mind  that  the  "survival  of  the  fittest" 
is  a  law  of  the  universe,  and  that  the  strong  will  always 
rule  the  weak,  and  that  the  good  will  survive  when  all 
that  is  evil  has  been  destroyed.  A  man's  power  to  rule  is 
in  proportion  to  the  strength  of  his  Will.  Each  person 
should  exercise  and  develop  his  Will,  and  use  Mentalism 
for  the  benefit  and  advancement  of  himself  and  others, 
and  then  he  will  become  a  master  of  men. 


174 


"The  mood  into  which  a  friend  can  bring  us,  is  his  dominion 
over  us.  To  the  thoughts  of  that  state  of  mind,  he  has  a  right.  All 
the  secrets  of  that  state  of  mind  he  can  compel." — Emerson. 


Chapter    XVII. 


JVhat    is     Personal    Magnetism  ? 


"Personal  Magnetism"  is  the  name  given  to  designate 
the  influence  or  control  that  one  person  exerts  over  others, 
causing  them  to  do  or  think  the  things  which  he  may 
desire  of  them.  Just  what  constitutes  this  power  and  how 
it  operates,  has  always  been  a  question.  Consequently, 
it  has  been  placed  on  the  list  of  the  mysterious  or  occult 
sciences. 

The  existence  of  some  subtle,  effective  force,  is  ac- 
knowledged by  every  thinking  man,  but  even  the  scientists 
have  been  unable  to  give  a  satisfactory  explanation  of  the 
law  that  governs  it.  They  call  it  a  "subtle,  unseen,  im- 
measurable force,"  and  there  they  stop  for  the  want  of 

177 


The   Law  of  Mentalism 

more  light  on  the  subject.  The  popular  belief  in  the  action 
of  this  force  is,  that  it  attracts  people  to  each  other  as 
lociestone  attracts  pieces  of  iron.  This  belief  does  not  ex- 
plain the  cause  nor  give  the  public  a  scientific  basis  to 
work  upon.  It  is  known  that  every  person  possesses, 
in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  some  subtle  power  or  force. 
It  is  also  claimed  that  those  who  exhibit  it  in  a  minor  de- 
gree may  develop  it  into  greater  effectiveness.  Just  how 
to  proceed  in  developing  this  latent  force  has  never  been 
satisfactorily  explained.  The  consideration  that  has  been 
given  to  it  has  only  succeeded  in  creating  a  diversity 
of  opinion. 

Personal  magnetism  means  personal  influence,  and  as 
the  name  implies,  the  influence  must  result  from  personal 
contact  through  one  or  more  of  the  senses.  This  being 
so,  the  influence  exerted  by  anyone  must  necessarily  be 
limited  in  its  effectiveness  to  the  number  of  people  with 
whom  he  comes  into  personal  contact.  It  is  claimed  that 
the  success  made  by  all  great  men  and  women  is  due  to 
their  personal  magnetism,  but  this  is  an  erroneous  idea.  I 
know  that  all  success  is  due  to  a  subtle  power  inherent  in 
man,  but  it  is  not  personal  magnetism,  for  personal  mag- 
netism is  not  broad  enough  in  its  scope  of  action.  If  it 
is  necessai-y  that  personal  influence  be  used  upon  each  and 

178 


what   is    Personal    Magnetism  ? 

every  person  who  assists  in  making  another  successful, 
how  are  we  to  account  for  the  desire  that  is  stimulated  in 
the  minds  of  people  to  see  and  hear  an  actor,  artist  or 
musician,  or  to  read  the  books  of  a  certain  author?  They 
had  never  been  within  reach  of  his  personal  magnetism, 
yet  they  felt  compelled  to  see  him,  or  to  read  his  writings, 
and  thus  to  assist  in  creating  his  success. 

If  Personal  Magnetism  was  the  only  force  used  to 
win  success,  it  would  of  a  necessity  come  very  slowly. 
Personal  Magnetism  may  influence  and  hold  people  after 
they  come  within  its  magic  circle,  but  there  must  be  some 
unlimited  power  that  travels  around  the  earth,  that  at- 
tracts people  and  draws  them  within  the  radius  of  a  man's 
personal  influence.  There  is  such  a  power,  and  it  is  Men- 
talism.  The  thoughts  and  desires  that  are  sent  out  from 
the  mind  (soul)  of  man  travel  on  the  waves  of  ether 
and  reach  all  who  are  in  sympathy  (tuned  in  harmony) 
with  his  thoughts  and  work.  His  thoughts  and  energies 
having  been  given  in  all  their  intensity  toward  producing 
success,  they  created  strong  vibrations  that  went  out  to  the 
world,  and  influenced  the  minds  of  others  until  they  un- 
consciously responded  and  put  forth  efforts  to  help  him. 
The  multiplying  of  these  efforts  by  thousands  of  people, 
produced  the  desired  results. 


179 


The   Law  of  Mentalism 

We  all  know  that  it  is  only  those  things  which  receive 
the  patronage  and  applause  of  the  public  that  are  con- 
sidered to  be  successful,  and  also  that  people  will  not  ap- 
plaud that  which  is  not  in  harmony  with  their  thoughts 
on  the  subject;  it  must  appeal  to  them  and  arouse  their 
feelings  and  emotions.  No  one  can  win  the  approval  of 
people  by  force  or  compulsion,  for  human  nature  always 
rebels  against  force  or  dictation  of  any  kind.  People  are 
influenced  only  when  we  place  in  their  brains,  thoughts 
and  sentiments  in  favor  of  ourselves  or  our  work.  Men- 
talism is  the  power  used  in  conveying  these  thoughts  from 
our  brains  to  those  of  others.  These  thoughts  they  accept 
as  their  own  and  gratify  themselves  by  acting  upon  them, 
for  they  like  to  believe  they  are  pleasing  themselves.  Un- 
less the  person  is  a  student  and  understands  the  Law  of 
Mentalism,  he  will  have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the 
thoughts  he  is  acting  upon  were  sent  to  him  by  another. 

The  greater  part  of  the  credit  given  to  Personal  Mag- 
netism, belongs  to  Mentalism,  for  almost  all  the  influence 
is  exerted  through  the  mind.  It  is  by  this  means  that 
the  thoughts  and  actions  of  others  are  controlled. 

A  simple  experiment  that  proves  the  power  of  Men- 
talism to  convey  our  wishes  to  another,  and  compel  that 
person  to  act  upon  them,  may  be  exemplified  in  the  fol- 


lowino-  manner 


'& 


1 80 


what   is    Personal    Magnetism  ^ 

While  sitting  in  a  church,  theatre,  or  other  gathering 
of  people,  select  as  a  subject  some  one  who  is  sitting  some 
distance  from  you.  Concentrate  your  thoughts  on  him 
for  a  little  while,  and  then  send  out  the  thought  that  he 
will  feel  an  irresistable  desire  to  turn  around  and  look  at 
you,  or  you  may  give  him  the  desire  to  take  a  handker- 
chief and  rub  his  face,  or  to  leave  his  seat  and  go  out  be- 
tween the  acts,  or  any  other  desire  that  you  may  wish  him 
to  carry  out,  that  would  not  be  inconsistent  under  the  cir- 
cumstances. It  w411  not  take  long  under  these  conditions  to 
mentalize  and  influence  him  to  carry  out  your  wishes, 
unless  he  is  at  the  time  under  the  influence  of  a  stronger 
Mentalism.  Should  one  fail  the  first  time,  he  has  but  to 
wait  a  little  while  until  the  other  influence  is  removed,  and 
then  he  will  be  successful.  Have  you  ever  unconsciously 
conveyed  your  thoughts  to  another  in  the  following  man- 
ner? While  you  were  intently  thinking  upon  a  certain 
subject,  and  just  about  ready  to  speak  of  it,  has  someone 
else  commenced  talking  on  the  same  subject  and  deprived 
you  of  the  opportunity?  This  experience  is  common  to 
most  people.  The  person,  through  Mentalism,  conveys 
his  thoughts  to  another,  and  he  gives  voice  to  them  with- 
out knowing  from  whence  they  came,  and  the  first  person 
is  thereby  the  loser.     Such  experiences  are  generally  called 

i8i 


The    Law   of  Mentalism 

coincidences,   but   they   are   not,   they  are  mental   com- 
munications unguided  by  the  Will. 

These  simple  experiments  prove  that  one  can  mentalize 
another  at  a  distance  without  speaking  a  word.  If  this 
much  can  be  done  by  those  who  do  not  understand  the 
Law,  who  can  set  a  limit  on  the  achievements  of  those  who 
rightly  use  the  power  they  possess.  All  that  has  been 
accomplished  under  the  name  of  Personal  Magnetism,  is 
but  the  work  of  Mentalism.  All  that  has  previously  re- 
mained unexplained  about  Personal  Magnetism  is 
now  fully  and  clearly  explained  by  the  Law  of  Mentalism. 
Personal  Magnetism  is  in  reality  only  a  small  part  of 
Mentalism,  and  is  not  an  independent  science.  Those  who 
understand  the  Law  of  Mentalism  will  find  in  Personal 
Magnetism  very  little  of  value. 


182 


"It  is  the  mind  that  makes  the  body  rich." — Shakespeare. 
"Noble  thoughts  make  the  foundation  for  noble  manhood." 

— Segno. 


Chapter    XVIII. 


How   to    Cure  Evil  Habits,       Magnetic 
Healing   or  Mentalism 

Because  a  man  has  not  traveled  in  the  path  of  virtue, 
it  is  no  indication  that  there  is  no  good  in  him,  and  that 
he  is  not  capable  of  entertaining  noble  thoughts  and  aspir- 
ations. Everyone  is  liable  to  err,  and  the  majority  of  peo- 
ple, possessing  as  they  do,  weak  Wills,  err  more  through 
the  influence  and  force  brought  to  bear  upon  them  by 
others,  than  from  any  real  desire  to  do  wrong.  Those 
who  make  mistakes  and  travel  the  road  that  leads  to  ruin, 
are  often  more  to  be  pitied  than  censured.  It  often  hap- 
pens that  on  account  of  an  inherited  weakness  of  charac- 
ter and  Will,  these  people  are  but  slaves  to  the  thoughts 
of  others,  who  use  them  to  further  their  own  desires. 

185 


The  Law  of   Mentalism 

A  man  who  reveals  the  evil  side  of  his  nature  when 
under  the  influence  of  the  thoughts  of  his  associates,  is 
weak  and  needs  assistance  and  increased  strength  as  much 
as  the  man  who  is  sick  from  disease.  If  that  same  man 
were  placed  under  the  influence  of  the  thoughts  of  peo- 
ple who  live  pure  lives,  he  would  quickly  respond  to  the 
new  influence,  and  soon  come  into  harmony  with  his  sur- 
roundings, for  the  good  always  crowds  out  the  bad,  when 
a  test  of  strength  between  the  two  is  made.  There  is 
more  good  than  bad  in  every  man,  for  is  he  not  fashioned 
after  the  Creator?  The  good  in  some  is  latent,  and  but 
awaits  the  right  influence  to  encourage  and  develop  it. 
When  the  good  in  man  is  developed  to  the  degree  where 
it  crowds  out  all  evil,  and  not  until  then,  will  the  soul  re- 
turn to  the  Great  Source  from  which  it  came,  there  to  re- 
main. 

If  one  wishes  to  cure  bad  habits  in  others,  it  is  abso- 
lutely essential  that  his  mind  and  thoughts  be  pure,  for  he 
cannot  convey  to  others  that  which  he  does  not  possess. 
Every  mind  is  constantly  occupied  with  thoughts  of  some 
character,  and  these  thoughts  control  the  man.  Hence,  the 
secret  of  curing  bad  habits,  lies  in  keeping  the  correct 
thoughts  in  the  mind  of  the  sufferer.  Pure  thoughts  can 
be  encouraged  by  means  of  pure  environments  and  pure 

t86 


How    to    Cure    Evil    Habits 

mental  associates.  Change  the  thoughts,  and  the  evil  will 
disappear,  and  good  habits  take  its  place.  The  Mentalist 
must  treat  his  patients  daily  by  means  of  the  Mentalism 
under  his  control.  He  must  not  criticise  the  patient's  ac- 
tions when  talking  to  him  or  thinking  of  him,  but  must 
indirectly  show  him  the  advantage  of  living  a  better, 
purer  life.  He  must  encourage  the  thoughts  of  the  unfor- 
tunate into  new  and  pure  channels,  and  thus  divert  his 
mind  from  the  old  associates  and  his  morbid  lina  of 
thought.  He  must  never  antagonize  him,  or  attempt  to 
use  force  or  commands,  but  must  be  patient  and  teach  him 
the  benefits  of  purer  associations.  All  conversations  car- 
ried on  within  his  hearing  should  be  elevating  and  not  de- 
pressing. The  person  who  is  treating  the  patient  for  the 
purpose  of  curing  the  evil  habits,  must  create  or  attract 
pure  thoughts  to  fill  his  brain,  and  then  the  old  evil 
thoughts  will  find  no  place  to  lodge.  No  one  need  at- 
tempt to  take  away  the  evil  without  first  supplying  an 
equal  amount  of  good,  for  Nature  will  not  permit  him  to 
do  so.  The  greatest  good  for  the  patient  can  be  obtained 
by  surrounding  him  with  all  the  better  things  of  life,  un- 
til his  thoughts  are  out  of  harmony  with  his  old  associ- 
ates. Then  he  will  no  longer  find  pleasure  in  the  old  con- 
ditions, and  will  of  his  own  accord  turn  from  them  in 


dissfust. 


^i=> 


187 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

The  existence  of  bad  habits  in  anyone  is  an  evidence  of 
evil  thoughts. 

As  the  character  of  the  thoughts  change  they  will  be 
expressed  in  the  actions  and  life  of  the  person. 


i88 


Magnetic    Healing   or    Mentalism 

MAGNETIC  HEALING  OR  MENTALISM. 

The  term  "Magnetic  Healing"  is  applied  to  a  form  of 
treatment  in  which  the  operator  uses  his  hands  to  make 
"passes"  over  the  body  of  the  patient,  or  to  gently  rub  or 
stroke  his  flesh.  It  is  the  belief  of  those  who  use  this 
method,  that  the  magnetic  force  passes  through  the  fingers 
of  the  operator  into  the  body  of  the  patient.  This  is  er- 
roneous, for  the  fingers  and  hands  are  but  the  servants  of 
the  brain,  and  simply  act  in  response  to  the  dictates  of 
the  mind;  the  power  used  operates  through  the  mental 
organization. 

We  observe,  that  the  carbon,  as  it  burns  in  the  elec- 
tric lamp  produces  a  bright  light,  yet  the  light  is  neither 
produced  by  the  carbon  nor  the  lamp.  These  servants 
merely  conduct  and  hold  the  force  that  is  collected  and 
sent  through  the  wires  to  the  lamp,  to  there  fulfill  its  pur- 
pose. The  power  that  stimulates  to  normal  action  the 
functions  of  the  body,  and  thus  dissipates  disease,  is  col- 
lected by  the  brain  from  the  mind  (soul),  and  is  sent  in 
thought  waves  to  the  brain  of  the  patient.  The  force 
which  some  people  suppose  penetrates  through  the  arms, 
hands  and  fingers  into  the  body  of  the  patient,  follows 
quite  a  different  course.  It  passes  from  the  brain  of  the 
operator  to  that  of  the  patient  and  stimulates  his  mind 

189 


The   Law  of   Mentalism 

to  the  normal  action,  and  thus  assists  it  in  directing  the 
organs  of  the  body  to  perform  their  natural  and  normal 
functions.  No  ailment  is  ever  cured  by  an  external  agent 
or  force,  nor  by  any  foreign  materials  (drugs)  or  matter. 
To  cure  by  such  methods,  it  would  be  necessary  to  sus- 
pend the  laws  of  Nature,  and  where  is  there  a  man  who 
has  the  power  to  do  this  ?  Such  a  man,  did  he  exist  would 
be  greater  than  his  Creator.  The  laws  of  Nature  cannot 
and  never  have  been  controlled  or  suspended  for  as  much 
as  the  thousandth  part  of  a  second.  To  credit  any  man 
with  the  power  to  curtail,  check  or  suspend  any  of  the 
laws  of  Nature,  is  to  credit  him  with  possessing  powers 
greater  than  the  maker  of  the  Law.  If  man  could  con- 
trol one  of  Nature's  laws,  it  would  cease  to  be  automatic 
and  infallible,  and  would  therefore  be  no  law. 

Health  and  success  are  the  result  of  keeping  in  har- 
mony with  the  laws  of  Nature.  Sickness  and  failure 
come  only  when  we  get  out  of  harmony  with  people  and 
the  Law.  Mentalism  is  the  force  used  to  cure,  even 
though  the  credit  is  given  to  Magnetism.  All  action  must 
take  place  through  the  mind,  for  the  body  has  no  inde- 
pendent power  of  action  or  locomotion.  To  attempt  to 
cure  disease  by  treating  only  the  body,  would  be  equal 
to  trying  to  destroy  a  tree  by  cutting  off  the  leaves.    More 

190 


Magnetic    Healing   or    Mentalism 

leaves  will  grow  on  the  tree  unless  one  goes  down  to  the 
very  roots  and  exterminates  the  cause.  Disease  will  ap- 
pear again  and  again  unless  we  go  to  the  root  of  the 
cause  and  treat  the  mind. 


191 


"It  is  evident  that  there  will  eventually  take  place  an  integration 
by  which  all  orders  of  phenomena  will  be  combined  and  recognized 
as  dififerently  conditioned  forms  of  one  ultimate  fact." 

— Herbert  Spencer. 

"The  transmission  of  a  thought  or  an  emotion  from  one  person 
to  another  without  visible  means  of  contact." — Prof.  Win.  Crooks. 


Chapter    XIX. 

The   Foundation  of  Spiritualism^   Clair- 

voya?tce^   Mediumship,    Telepathy 

and  Intuition 

The  phenomena  of  Spiritualism,  and  the  belief  of  the 
devotees  of  that  religion  are  both  expressions  of  the  Law 
of  Mentalism.  It  is  the  spiritualistic  belief  that  at  the 
death  or  destruction  of  the  physical  body,  the  Soul  (mind) 
enters  into  space,  and  from  that  indefinite  position,  com- 
municates with  and  influences  Souls  that  are  still  at- 
tached to  earthly  bodies.  It  has  been  clearly  demonstrated 
that  messages  have  been  received  by  the  living,  that  had 
every  evidence  of  having  come  from  one  who  had  departed 
from  the  body.  These  messages  demonstrate  the  existence 
and  life  of  the  mind  and  intelligence  after  the  destruction 
of  the  body.    These  Souls  being  invisible  to  the  physical 

195 


The   Law  of  Mentalism 

eye,  make  themselves  known  to  others  through  the  Law 
of  MentaHsm.  That  a  Soul  may  communicate  with  the 
living,  and  in  return  receive  messages  from  them,  it  must 
use  the  same  means  and  the  same  process  it  used  while  on 
earth,  otherwise  its  communications  could  not  be  recog- 
nized. 

Mentalism  is  the  Universal  Law  that  governs  all  intel- 
ligence, and  the  transmission  of  the  same  from  mind  to 
mind  or  from  brain  to  brain.  The  power  of  Mentalism 
is  not  limited  by  the  narrow  confines  of  this  small  earth, 
but  is  capable  of  traveling  through  illimitable  space,  and 
of  influencing  the  inhabitants  of  other  worlds  also.  The 
spiritualists  use  the  same  power  in  sending  and  receiving 
messages,  that  every  man  uses  in  communicating  with 
his  fellow  men.  They,  however,  select  certain  persons 
whom  they  call  "Mediums"  to  send  and  receive  mes- 
sages from  the  Souls  that  have  departed.  These  persons 
act  in  the  capacity  of  operators  in  sending  and  receiving 
messages  for  others.  This  ability  of  the  Medium  is  due  to 
his  great  power  of  concentration ;  by  it  he  is  able  to  quickly 
tune  himself  in  harmony  with  the  Mentalism  of  Souls  that 
are  in  and  also  those  that  are  out  of  the  body.  This 
ability  is  not  due  to  the  spirituality  of  his  nature,  for,  as 
a   rule,   professional   Mediums   are  not  noted   for   their 

196 


The  Foundation  of  Spiritualism 

spiritual  development,  the  material  elements  being  rather 
more  in  evidence.  The  Medium  is  simply  the  machine 
used  in  transmitting  and  receiving  messages. 

Spiritualists  have  laid  themselves  liable  to  much  censure 
and  criticism  as  a  result  of  attributing  to  departed  Souls 
all  messages  they  receive.  The  reason  for  this  is,  that 
they  have  accepted  in  faith  the  statements  and  teachings 
of  others  in  place  of  searching  for  the  law  that  governs 
the  phenomena.  They  constantly  receive  valuable  mes- 
sages from  the  living  which  lose  their  potency  when 
credited  to  some  departed  Soul  who  knew  nothing  of  the 
subject  to  which  the  message  relates.  If  a  Soul  is  capable 
of  sending  a  message  after  leaving  the  body,  it  was 
capable  of  doing  so  while  on  earth.  There  is  no  logical 
reason  for  believing  that  any  of  the  powers  possessed 
bv  the  Soul  are  curtailed  in  this  world  and  given  freedom 
for  action  after  it  departs  from  the  body.  It  is  self-evident 
that  these  powers  are  not  restricted ;  if  they  were,  the 
Medium  would  be  unable  to  send  and  receive  messages. 
Then  there  is  no  reason  why  one  person  (the  Medium) 
should  possess  this  power  and  others  be  denied  it.  There 
can  be  no  such  distinction  or  restriction,  for  the  law  that 
governs  one  man  governs  all  humanit^^  Are  not  all 
men  made  in  the  image  of  their  Creator  ?    Then  if  I  can 


197 


The   Law  of  Mentalism 

communicate  with  man  either  in  the  body  or  out  of  it, 
other  men  can  do  likewise.  Each  and  every  man  can  and 
should  be  his  own  "Medium." 

If  the  mind  of  man  is  capable  of  receiving  a  message 
from  a  departed  spirit,  or  soul,  it  is  also  capable  of  taking 
a  like  message  from  the  minds  of  other  men.  Then  if  we 
are  capable  of  receiving  a  message,  we  can  just  as  well  re- 
ceive it  from  a  Soul  imprisoned  in  a  body,  as  from  one 
that  has  passed  over  the  border.  This  being  so,  who  can 
determine  which  message  came  from  beyond  the  border, 
and  which  from  a  mind  still  on  earth  ? 

Thoughts  and  messages  never  die.  We  know  that  the 
influence  and  thoughts  of  great  men  are  equally  as  potent 
today,  if  not  more  so,  than  when  they  were  on  earth.  I 
believe  that  most  of  the  mistakes  and  errors  made  by  spir- 
itualists are  due  to  attributing  to  the  departed  all  the 
messages  they  receive,  instead  of  giving  credit  to  those  of 
their  friends  who  are  in  the  flesh,  and  interested  in  their 
welfare. 

Mentalism  is  the  natural  means  of  communicating  one 
with  another.  It  is  the  law  by  which  thought  (intelli- 
gence) is  interchanged  from  mind  to  mind,  (soul  to 
soul).  Mentalism  proves  conclusively  the  immortality 
of  the  mind.    Mentalism  is  the  law  upon  which  spiritual- 

198 


clairvoyance  and  Mediumship 

ism  is  based.  Mentalism  removes  the  mystery  in  which 
spirituahsm  has  been  shrouded.  It  draws  aside  the  cloak 
that  has  been  used  by  unscrupulous  persons  to  deceive  and 
defraud  the  public,  and  bring  the  name  of  the  honest 
spiritualist  into  disrepute.  If  spiritualists  would  explain 
to  the  public  that  the  phenomena  in  which  they  believe  is 
caused' by  Mentalism,  and  that  the  communications  they 
receive  are  from  minds  of  people  on  this  earth  as  well  as 
those  beyond  the  border,  and  also  explain  how  every 
man  is  his  own  Medium,  because  the  law  that  governs  one 
governs  all,  they  would  exterminate  every  imposter  who 
is  using  the  name  of  Spiritualism  with  which  to  impose 
upon  the  credulous  public. 

CLAIRVOYANCE  AND  MEDIUMSHIP. 

Clairvoyance  means  clear  seeing.  A  clairvoyant  is  a 
person  capable  of  deep  concentration  of  thought.  Through 
concentrating,  he  tunes  his  mental  organization  in  har- 
mony with  that  of  other  people,  and  thus  receives  thoughts 
and  messages  from  them.  Clairvoyance  was  supposed  to 
be  a  distinct  power  or  gift.  This  is  not  so,  for  each  and 
every  person  possesses  the  same  ability  though  in  a  great- 
er or  less  degree  of  development.  Clairvoyance  is  Mental- 
ism, in  operation.  A  clairvoyant  is  the  servant  of  others, 

199 


The   Law   of  Mentalism 

and  often  becomes  a  slave  to  the  influence  of  the  combined 
Mentalism  of  the  public.  When  this  is  the  case  he  soon 
loses  all  his  individuality  and  Will  Power.  The  moment 
one  acts  in  the  capacity  of  a  receiver  of  messages  for 
others,  he  resigns  his  own  Will  to  theirs,  and  thus  loses 
his  individuality.  Every  person  should  be  his  own  clair- 
voyant, but  he  should  not  sell  himself  and  sacrifice  his 
Will  and  independence  to  others  for  the  paltry  financial 
remuneration  he  would  receive  in  return  for  it. 

A  Medium  is  another  name  for  a  Clairvoyant,  but  it  is 
most  generally  applied  to  a  Spiritualist  who  acts  as  a  dis- 
patcher and  receiver  of  messages,  for  those  who  do  not 
understand  the  law  that  governs  the  phenomena.  The 
person  acting  in  that  capacity  should  rightl}^  be  called  a 
Mentalist,  and  not  a  Medium  or  Clairvoyant. 

TELEPATHY  AND  INTUITION. 

Telepathy  is  a  name  given  to  the  transference  of 
thought  from  the  brain  of  one  person  to  that  of  others.  It 
is  simply  Mentalism,  and  has  no  characteristics  or  phe- 
nomena that  is  not  governed  by  this  law.  Intuition  is 
also  another  name  for  Mentalism.  An  impression  or  an 
idea  comes  to  one  to  act;  he  makes  his  decision  without 
any  apparent  reason  and  follows  it,  and  finds  that  his  in- 

200 


Telepathy   and    Intuition 

tuition  was  correct.  At  another  time,  he  acts  contrary  to 
these  impressions  and  afterwards  says,  "Well,  if  I  had 
followed  my  intuition,  I  would  not  have  made  the  mis- 
take." Many  instances  of  this  kind  can  be  related  by 
every  one.  I  have  in  mind  a  case  where  a  gentleman  sud- 
denly conceived  a  desire  to  purchase  the  house  in  which 
he  lived,  though  he  could  not  explain  to  himself  the  reason 
for  it.  However,  he  wrote  to  the  landlord  and  asked  him 
if  he  were  walling  to  sell  and  if  so,  upon  what  terms.  He 
posted  the  letter  at  night,  and  on  the  following  morning 
received  one  from  the  landlord  wath  a  suggestion  that  he 
purchase  the  house.  Both  letters  were  written  at  about 
the  same  time,  and  had  crossed  in  the  mail. 

Another  gentleman,  while  sitting  by  his  fireside  one 
evening,  suddenly  became  aware  of  the  whereabouts  of 
one  of  his  books,  which  had  been  missing  for  a  long  time. 
He  was  impressed  with  the  feeling  that  it  was  in  the  pos- 
session of  a  former  neighbor  who  had  moved  some  thirty 
miles  away.  Acting  upon  the  spur  of  the  moment,  he 
wrote  a  note  to  the  gentleman,  asking  him  if  he  had  not 
borrowed  the  book.  Next  morning,  when  he  came  down 
to  breakfast,  on  the  table  lay  a  parcel  containing  the  very 
book  the  whereabouts  of  which  had  flashed  into  his  brain 
the  previous  night.     The  sender  stated  in  a  note  that 


20I 


The  Law  of   Mentalism 

accompanied  it  that  he  had  borrowed  it,  and  that  it  had 
been  mislaid,  and  only  found  that  day.  These  were  not 
coincidences,  they  were  Mental  Messages. 

Did  you  ever  stop  to  consider  what  it  is  within  you  that 
prompts  you,  to  which  you  give  the  name  "Intuition?" 
If  you  have  these  impressions,  they  are  the  evidence  which 
proves  that  you  are  a  natural  Mentalist,  and  that  you  can 
and  do  receive  messages  from  other  minds.  If  you  have 
been  able  to  do  this  much  without  a  knowledge  of  the  law 
that  guides  them,  you  can  in  a  short  time,  if  you  apply  the 
Law  of  Mentalism  scientifically,  become  a  proficient  Men- 
talist. 


202 


"Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole."— Christ. 

"Belief  and  love — a  believing  love  will  relieve  us  of  a  vast  load 
of  care." — Emerson. 


THE   SEGNO   SUCCESS   CLUB 

WILL    ASSIST    YOU    ALONG 

The  Road  to  Success 

Read  the  following  suggestions. 
They  will  interest  you. 


Success!  Success!  'Tis  a  word  to  conjure  with.  It  is  the 
favorable  termination  of  an  effort.  Consider  its  achievement.  Think 
of  its  dignity.  Its  possibilities  are  alluring  inducements,  and  its 
reality  is  the  reward  for  trying.  With  many  people  it  is  as  elusive 
and  fickle  as  a  will-o'-the-wisp,  yet  day  after  day,  and  year  after 
year,  through  the  past  centuries,  the  ambitious,  the  persistent,  and 
the  hopeful  have  battled  on,  dismayed  by  no  difficulty,  shrinking  from 
no  exertion,  exhausted  by  no  labor,  and  ever  eager  to  renew  their 
efforts  to  overtake  it.  Alas !  How  few  of  those  who  fought  so 
bravely  ever  attained  their  heart's  desire?  Yet  there  is  a  way  to 
wealth  that  is  reliable,  a  road  to  fame  that  is  undeviating  and  a 
highway  to  success  that  is  smooth  and  easily  traveled.  The  fault 
was  not  with  the  road,  but  with  the  man.  His  efforts  were  misdi- 
rected. He  was  not  aware  of  his  own  great  powers.  Had  he  been, 
he  would  have  commanded  success  to  come  to  him  and  she  would 
have  willingly  obeyed.  The  secret  of  the  power  exerted  by  success- 
ful men  is  revealed  through  the  Law  of  MentaHsm.  This  subtle 
power  which  controls  not  only  matter  but  the  minds  of  other  people, 
is  the  inheritance  of  every  man.  To  develop  and  use  it  for  his  ad- 
vancement and  for  the  good  of  humanity  is  a  duty  he  owes  to  man- 
kind and  to  his  Creator.  Man  was  sent  into  this  world  to  be  a 
growing  and  exhaustless  force. 

The  Value  of   Unity 

It  is  an  old  but  nevertheless  a  true  saying  that  "Two  heads 
(minds)  are  better  than  one."  It  is  likewise  true  that  the  combined 
intelligence  and  effort  of  five  thousand  people  is  five  thousand  times 
greater  than  the  intelligence  and  efforts  of  one  person.  That  this 
fact  is  recognized  by  intelligent  people,  is  demonstrated  in  the  forma- 
tion and  organization  of  the  various  fraternal,  social,  business  and 
insurance  societies  and  clubs;  by  the  legislative  and  political  parties; 
by  the  combinations  formed  by  railroad  companies  and  manufac- 
turers, which  are  called  "Trusts,"  and  also  by  the  working  men's 
unions,  organized  for  their  protection  and  advancement. 


The  man  who  tries  to  battle  alone  against  such  combinations 
is  sure  to  meet  with  failure.  To  gain  any  marked  degree  of  success 
one  must  enlist  the  assistance  and  co-operation  of  other  people.  To 
attempt  to  live  independently  of  others  is  equivalent  to  committing 
suicide,  for  that  is  the  only  means  by  which  one  can  escape  from 
their  influence  or  assistance.  We  are  all  dependent  upon  each  other, 
therefore  it  is  better  to  think  and  work  in  union  and  harmony  with 
thousands  of  others  than  to  attempt  to  live  in  opposition  to  them. 
The  latter  course  has  but  one  end,  and  that  is  ruin. 

The  Segno  Success  Club — Its  Value  to  Humanity 

Success  is  the  aim  and  object  of  all  the  members  of  this  club, 
not  only  for  self,  but  for  all  their  brother  and  sister  members.  It  is 
by  the  combination  of  thought  and  effort  centered  upon  one  subject 
that  we  produce  such  wonderful  results.  The  membership  of  the 
club  has  grown  very  rapidly.  This  has  been  principally  due  to  one 
cause — the  success  of  its  members.  Their  success  has  demonstrated 
to  their  friends  and  acquaintances  that  they  possess  some  vital  knowl- 
edge or  force  that  is  not  understood  by  the  public  in  general.  That 
they  might  possess  the  same  wisdom,  and  win  a  like,  or  a  greater 
success,  these  friends  have  enrolled  as  members.  The  work  has  thus 
become  an  endless  chain  of  success,  each  member  forming  one  Hnk. 
The  membership  has  extended  to  every  country  in  the  world,  thus 
forming  a  circle  around  the  earth. 

Are  You   Ambitious  ? 

Perhaps  you  are  ambitious  and  eager  to  make  an  effort  to  win 
success,  but  lack  confidence  in  your  ability,  or  do  not  know  just  how 
to  commence.  You  perhaps  feel  that  you  possess  natural  talent  and 
ability,  and  if  you  only  had  some  one  to  encourage  and  direct  you 
in  the  right  channel  of  thought,  you  could  take  up  your  work  with 
renewed  energy  and  increased  hope  and  make  a  success  of  it.  This 
is  where  a  membership  in  the  Club  would  help  you ;  for  it  would 
supply  the  missing  link  between  you  and  success,  through  the  assist- 
ing influence  of  every  member.  You  would  at  once  become  a  link 
with  the  other  members,  in  the  chain  that  moves  the  machinery  of 
success.  Their  combined  mental  strength  would  be  united  with  yours 
and  before  such  a  mighty  force  all  obstacles  give  way. 

Successful    Men 

Gould,  Rockefeller,  Morgan,  Vanderbilt,  Rothschilds,  Wana- 
maker,  Stewart,  Depew,  Edison,  Pullman,  Armour,  Marshall  Field 
and  others,  won  success  in  their  respective  spheres  because  they 
applied  their  thoughts  and  efforts  in  the  right  direction,  and  obtained 
the  assistance  and  mental  influence  of  thousands  of  people. 


"Thoughts  are  things,"  and  Mentalism  is  the  subtle  force  by 
which  thoughts  are  intelligently  conveyed  from  one  to  another. 
The  concentrating  and  centralizing  of  this  great  force  by  thousands 
of  minds,  upon  a  special  subject  at  a  certain  hour,  always  creates 
the  condition  desired.  The  Bible  says  that  "If  ye  will  all  pray 
(think)  with  one  accord,  your  prayers  (desires)  shall  be  answered.'' 
It  is  by  union  that  strength  is  increased.  This  mental  force  can  be 
exerted  so  as  to  cure  disease,  prolong  life,  and  create  happiness,  as 
well  as  to  cure  non-success. 

Instru(5lions 

Each  member  of  the  club  is  instructed  in  the  use  of  the  Law  of 
Mentalism,  so  that  he  may  through  it  create  for  himself  and  for 
others,  the  elements  of  success.  While  every  man  and  woman  pos- 
sessing a  knowledge  of  this  law  can  assist  himself  or  herself  to 
success,  still  they  can  have  that  assistance  increased  a  thousand- 
fold, if  they  are  also  in  harmony  with,  and  receive  the  mental  help 
and  influence  from  a  thousand  people  who  are  already  attaining  suc- 
cess. Then  if  that  number  is  increased  to  ten  thousand,  the  success 
will  be  increased  in  a  corresponding  ratio.  The  mental  vibrations 
of  one  member  are  strengthened  by  those  of  all  the  members  of  the 
club.  Every  member  will  use  his  Mental  force  to  help  you,  and  you 
in  return  will  send  out  your  mental  vibrations  to  unite  with  theirs 
and  help  them.  As  they  become  more  successful,  your  success  will 
increase,  for  you  will  all  become  as  one  great  mind  and  think  with 
one  accord. 

When   to  Join   the  Club 

There  is  no  better  time  than  the  present,  for  opportunity  is 
knocking  at  your  door,  and  delays  are  dangerous,  especially  as  you 
have  so  much  to  lose  by  waiting  and  so  much  to  gain  by  acting  now. 
If  success  and  contentment  of  mind  are  worth  having  at  all,  they  are 
worth  having  NOW.  The  larger  the  membership  the  stronger  will 
be  the  power  for  success,  and  the  more  wonderful  will  be  the  results 
accomplished.  Therefore,  you  should  not  only  join  the  club  yourself, 
but  should  persuade  your  friends  and  acquaintances  to  join  also. 
You  need  their  influence  and  assistance  just  as  much,  if  not  more, 
than  you  do  those  of  strangers.     Let  us  harmonize  with  the  Club. 

Nothing  Succeeds   Hke  Success 

Bear  in  mind  that  "Like  attracts  like."  Therefore  when  you 
are  successful,  you  will  attract  to  you  successful  people,  but  as  long 
as  you  are  unsuccessful,  you  will  attract  people  of  a  like  nature. 
Allow  yourself  to  be  placed  in  harmony  with  the  members  of  the 
Segno  Success  Club  and  you  will  soon  become  successful  and  at- 


tract  to  you  the  class  of  people  who  can,  and  will,  assist  you  to 
greater  success. 

Do  you  wish  to  make  a  success?  You  should  decide  this  ques- 
tion today.  If  you  decide  in  favor  of  success,  then  take  advantage 
of  this  opportunity  to  associate  yourself  with  the  Mental  influence 
of  all  the  members  of  this  Club,  and  you  will  bless  the  day  you 
made  the  decision.  Upon  receipt  of  your  application  for  member- 
ship, stating  your  age,  sex,  whether  married  or  single,  and  the  busi- 
ness you  follow,  the  Secretary  will  send  you  full  instructions  for 
taking  the  treatments  for  the  cure  of  non-success,  and  will  notify 
you  of  the  date  and  hour  that  you  will  be  harmonized  with  the  other 
members  of  the  Club. 

Membership    Fee 

The  fee  for  membership  in  the  Segno  Success  Club  is  One  Dol- 
lar per  month  or  Ten  Dollars  per  year,  payable  in  advance.  A  new 
harmonizing  key  and  additional  instructions  are  sent  each  month  to 
every  member  in  good  standing.  The  key  is  sent  previous  to  the  first 
of  each  month,  so  that  there  will  be  no  lapse  of  the  success  treat- 
ment. Instructions  explaining  the  Law  of  Mentalism,  and  how  to 
use  it  in  taking  and  giving  the  Success  Treatments,  are  also  sent 
to  each  member. 

Is  Success  Worth   One   Dollar? 

If  you  have  any  doubt  as  to  the  value  of  this  mutual  mental  co- 
operation, you  owe  it  to  yourself  to  test  its  truth  before  passing  an 
opinion  upon  it.  Then  join  the  club  for  one  month ;  the  experiment 
will  cost  you  but  very  little,  and  it  will  satisfy  you  as  to  the  merits 
of  our  claims.  You  would  not  be  so  unjust  as  to  criticise  something 
you  have  not  investigated  and  consequently  know  nothing  of.  You 
can  prove  to  yourself  and  others  that  you  are  ambitious  and  hon- 
estly desire  to  succeed,  by  giving  the  methods  of  the  Club  a  fair  trial. 
We  are  certain  that  if  you  become  a  member,  you  will  receive  so 
much  benefit  during  the  first  month  that  you  will  see  that  it  would  be 
a  profitable  business  investment  to  remain  a  permanent  member.  Do 
mt  delay.    Send  in  your  application  today. 

Address 

SEGNO    SUCCESS    CLUB, 

LOS  ANGELES,  CAL.,  U.  S.  A. 


How  to  Live 
loo  Years 


AND  R  ETAI  N 
YOUTH,  HEALTH 
AND      BEAUTY 

A  New  Discovery  by  A,  ViEior  Segno 

Do  you  desire  to  live  loo  years 

in  the  full  possession  of  health  and  beaut}'? 
Do  you  wish  to  retain  for  a  centurj'  the  sup- 
pleness, vim  and  vigor  of  a  person  of  25  or  30? 
Do  you  wish  to  know  how  to  live  so  that  every 
moment  you  will  experience  a  new  pleasure  ? 
All  this  and  much  more  can  now  be  accom- 
plished with  ease.  The  new  discovery  by 
which  life  and  health  can  be  prolonged  is  fully 
explained  by  A.  Victor  Segno.  The  complete 
Course  of  Instructions  in  Life  Cidture,  includ- 
ins:  the  secret  of  livins:  one  hundred  vears 
in  youth,  health  and  beaut\',  is  handsomely 
bound  in  leather.  It  will  be  sent  postpaid  for 
Five  Dollars.  Address  A.  VICTOR  SEGNO, 
1114  S.  Grand  Ave.,  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  U.S.A. 


^^^. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
Los  Angeles 
,^  This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


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JAN  ff^  1982 


9. 1^193 


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1979 


Form  L9-40m-7,'56(C790s4)444 


BF 
639 

Sis  1 


O        I     I  vJU      UWil'+O      H 


UC  SOUTHERN  RfGIOMAL  LIRRARY  Pir 


AA    000  528  569 


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